Emo Therapy

Stupid Cancer helps Gen Xers and millennials bond and fight back

- Jessica Firger

Cancer is primarily a disease of aging, but it still affects plenty of young people. According to the National Cancer Institute, some 70,000 people aged 13 to 39 in the U.S. are diagnosed each year with the disease.

Matthew Zachary, founder and CEO of Stupid Cancer—an advocacy and support organization for Generation X and millennial cancer patients and survivors—knows all too well the unique challenges young adults face when diagnosed with the Big C.

Zachary, 43, a classically trained pianist, was a senior in college when his left hand stopped working. Doctors soon diagnosed him with a brain tumor and gave him six months to live. To this day, he struggles with the physical and psychological impact of the disease and his treatment for it. But most of all, he remembers feeling very alone.

This year marks a decade since Zachary—who describes himself as “respectfully disdainful and strategically disruptive”—founded Stupid Cancer, which provides young people with online resources and age-appropriate meet up events. It also hosts an annual trade show, known as CancerCon, that’s been attended by 8,000 patients and survivors over the past 10 years.