Challenges. Facing them, beating them, issuing them. Matthew Zachary of Stupid Cancer does not take life as it comes. After facing life-threatening pediatric brain cancer at age 21 in 1995, Matthew found that a lack of resources made his cancer battle hard and lonely. He beat a six-month survival prediction to continue his college career, regain the ability to play piano and committed to making the battle against cancer for teens “suck a little less.”

Matthew founded Stupid Cancer in 2007 as a non-profit organization to empower those affected by young adult cancer through innovative and award-winning programs and services. They are the nation’s largest support community for the under-served population and serve as a bullhorn for the young adult cancer movement.

Launching in September 2014 in a beta, Stupid Cancer has developed an app that will connect teens with other teens anonymously. To hear more about the launch of Instapeer, tun in to the episode.

Follow the conversation with the time stamp of the episode below:

00:00 Intro
00:30 Advertisement: EHR2.0 HIPAA and Security Compliance
01:25 Meet Matthew Zachary
02:18 Fard Johnmar & the ePatient
03:28 Angry patients
05:00 Teens in the healthcare system
06:38 Nothing’s connected
07:38 80% of teens with cancer are treated in a rural setting
08:16 Chemo is chemo
08:32 How can teens connect with each other
10:35 Online forums are intimidating
11:07 What would a teen use to connect with other teens
11:30 Instapeer – Free mobile app to connect teens and young adults to each other
12:00 Build for the teen, not their dad
14:15 We “make it suck a little less”
14:45 Beta launch requirements
15:55 Matthew’s cancer journey & launch of Stupid Cancer
18:47 Closing the gap
19:35 “Nothing had changed in the survival rate for teens in 10 years and that’s not OK’
20:15 Depression and teens with cancer
22:00 Living with, through and beyond cancer
23:05 18 years cancer free – not cured
24:00 What is Stupid Cancer
25:33 We deserve to be treated age appropriately
26:20 Where does your content come from
27:55 CancerCon
29:55 How are healthcare professionals and companies dealing with digital health
30:45 Digital health startups are a colossal waste of time
31:54 The digital health world does not know it’s audience
33:00 Challenging the digital health entrepreneurial hierarchy
34:32 Social Media Success Tip from Clarissa Schlistra

Visit our resources page for more valuable (and free!) resources on social media and digital health:

StupidCancer.org

Instapeer.org

CancerCon

Health 2.0

Fard Johnmar & “ePatient 2015 – 15 Surprising Trends Changing Health Care”