Do things that don't scale.

As part of the Cancer Hacker Lab we have a history of helping patients navigate their complex cancer cases. Below are a few stories from patients that have benefitted from our approach. Some companies torture the data until it whimpers, telling them they've driven value (typically ROI/Outcomes). We prefer a more direct approach. Here's a few stories.

  • Bryce

    An Extraordinary Group of Cancer Researchers, Diagnosticians, Patients, Scientists, and Physicians Collaborated to Find a Life-Extending Therapy for One Patient

    Bryce Oson was a 50-year-old Portland-based tech executive with Intel Corporation, a single dad of a 12-year old girl, a surfer, musician, and an internationally known patient advocate for genomics-guided precision medicine with deep connections in the industry. Bryce is an articulate, well-known metastatic prostate cancer patient, who has been featured  in WIRED, the Washington Post, and ABC News in San Diego. He spoke regularly at conferences on the power of genomics to guide personalized treatments. He has a website, Sequenceme.org. His graciousness and charisma attract friends who want to help him. Each line of therapy has knocked down his cancer, but each time it has come back. Bryce’s situation was profiled in an article in WIRED: One Man’s Search for the DNA Data That Could Save His Life.

    Read the full case study here: https://www.cancerhackerlab.com/bryce-olson-hackathon

  • Kasey

    Kasey Altman was a 24-year-old writer, Googler, former collegiate athlete, adventurer and mother to Willow, her mini goldendoodle puppy. In October of 2020 she was diagnosed with a rare cancer (stage IV pediatric soft tissue sarcoma, fusion positive alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma — F+ ARMS). Since being diagnosed, she has been writing a book and speaking candidly about her experiences, both in presentations and on social media. She also launched a chart-topping podcast (“The Reroute”) with her sister.

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    Google Presentation
    Kasey was invited by her Google colleagues to share the experience of being diagnosed with cancer at 24, what she’s learned and how she’s grown. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ee7ZFEE5NA

  • Linnea

    Linnea Olson was a well-known advocate for patients and a pioneer in clinical trials for lung cancer. She was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in April of 2005. Linnea was a mother, artist, writer, friend, and adventurer. She referred to herself as a terminal optimist; someone who is living (each day to the fullest) with stage 4 lung cancer.

    Instead of NED (No Evidence of Disease), Linnea says she’s NDY (Not Dead Yet). As her friend Bryce Olson (no relation) has said, “She brings the best in resiliency, cancer knowledge, and inspiration. She was the most followed lung cancer patient on social media.

    You can see her blog: Life and Breath: Outliving Lung Cancer, Her TEDx talk: ‘Patient, parent, person, research subject‘. Other articles that have been written about her: Lung Cancer Foundation of America, Harvard Medical School –  Patient Perspective: Linnea Olson – Cancer Activist, A cancer patient and pathologist – brought together by Twitter – strike up an unlikely connection

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Stories from our Patient Community…

Roger Royse

Roger was diagnosed with stage IIB pancreatic cancer and was approaching the end of standard of care. He was running out of options and needed to quickly identify a way forward.

Kevin Fordney

Kevin Fordney was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. He talks about how being part of the Cancer Patient Lab educated him about his disease and prepared him to be a partner with his oncologist.

Roger Royse:

Giving testimony to US FDA

David Plunkett

David was diagnosed with stage 4B prostate cancer five years ago. He talks here about how he found the Prostate Cancer Lab (part of Cancer Patient Lab) and why he is a member of our community.

“The quality of  decisions about clinical care depends on ensuring that multi-disciplinary, multi-level expertise, including patient and families, is mobilised to address a complex problem for which there are no clear cut answers.”

Tessa S. Marcus

Amit Gattani

Amit lives with an aggressive form of prostate cancer and struggles to find a treatment that provides a durable response.

Phil and Noel Resch

Phil was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. His wife Noel is heavily involved in his care and shares her views on why the Cancer Patient Lab is so important in patient-centered care.

Robb Owen

Robb was diagnosed with stage 4 head and neck squamouss cell carcinoma in October 2023. Taking full advantage of integrative oncology, PET scans showed him to be cancer free within 10 weeks. 

“I love that you have put together these (cancer) hackathons.  I truly feel this is very needed and hope it can grow to become more of the norm in the care of cancer patients. Everyone working together for one common goal, the well-being of the patient.” 

Heather Messerly

Mike Yancey

Mike was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. He talks about how the Cancer Patient Lab helped him get access to proteomic testing which uncovered new targets and treatment options.

Robert Gurmankin

Robert is a retired dentists with advanced prostate cancer. He talks about how Cancer Patient Lab provides a community and an educational environment to help him deal with his cancer journey.

“There is power in the collective thinking of the medical community and scientists / researchers / entrepreneurial companies coming together to find solutions and treatment options.”

Gail Thornton