InSecurity Podcast: Matthew Zachary on Hacking Cancer
"We are all very fortunate to not have ordinary lives, so do not listen to what the world tells you has to be done. The real revolution happens when patients are in charge of their own outcomes." ~ Matthew Zachary
What do you do when you are a gifted composer and musician and one day your hand stops working?
Each year, 77,000 adolescents and young adults aged 15-39 are diagnosed with cancer. That's one every seven minutes. Cancer incidence in young adults has increased more than any other age group, yet somehow, survival rates have not improved at the same rate as other age groups.
Cancer is the number one killer disease in young adults. Young adults are the most underserved patient population by age. Delayed cancer diagnosis is disproportionately higher in young adults. Which begs the question: what is being done to improve the resources for adolescents and young adults dealing with cancer?
On this episode of the InSecurity Podcast, Matt Stephenson sat down with Matthew Zachary, founder of Stupid Cancer and Offscrip Media. Why are we talking about cancer advocacy? Ask Matthew. Rather than being told how to die with dignity, he rose up and gathered those facing similar situations. He founded Stupid Cancer and gave birth to the young adult cancer movement. The Stupid Cancer Show broke all the rules and gave a voice to millions. What else can we learn from someone who is winning that ongoing battle? Worth a listen to find out…
About Matthew Zachary
Ten years after surviving brain cancer at age 21, Matthew Zachary (@matthewzachary) created Stupid Cancer (@stupidcancer), the world's largest young adult cancer community, and The Stupid Cancer Show, the world's first health podcast, which amassed a global listenership in the millions.
He stepped down as Stupid Cancer's CEO in 2019 and launched his latest venture, OffScrip Media, the first podcasting network at the intersection of patient advocacy, education, and digital health. True to form, Matthew is also back behind the mic where he belongs. His new show on the OffScrip Media network, Out of Patients, is being hailed as "the voice of patient advocacy."
As he continues to be pissed off with the dumpster fire that is our healthcare system, the through-line of Matthew's entire career is patient advocacy; and he will not stop calling out all sorts of stupid BS that shouldn't have to be a thing.
Matthew is also an acclaimed keynote speaker, accomplished film composer, and award-winning concert pianist.
About Offscrip Media
Today's healthcare conversations are too polite. Offscrip Media (@offscripmedia) is here to fix all that. Created by Matthew Zachary, a 25-year brain cancer survivor, and the Founder of Stupid Cancer, OffScrip Media is the first podcasting network at the intersection of patient advocacy, education, and digital health.
Their mission is to build community, end isolation, amplify voice, and improve quality of life for patients and caregivers.
About Matt Stephenson
Insecurity Podcast host Matt Stephenson (@packmatt73) leads the Broadcast Media team at BlackBerry, which puts him in front of crowds, cameras, and microphones all over the world. He is the regular host of the InSecurity Podcast and video series at events around the globe.
Twenty years of work with the world’s largest security, storage, and recovery companies has introduced Stephenson to some of the most fascinating people in the industry. He wants to get those stories told so that others can learn from what has come before.
