“A Pioneer and Provocateur.” — Atlantic
“An Incomparable Storyteller.” — Klick Health
“MZ Is Why We Do What We Do.” — AbbVie
“A Real American Advocate.” — Walgreens
“He Really Rallied the Troops.” — Amgen
TRUSTED SOURCE
“Matthew Zachary is the irreverent, informed friend you WISH you could talk to when the US healthcare system has you screaming or crying."
Susannah Fox, Author
Rebel Health: A Field Guide to the Patient-Led Revolution in Medical Care
For three decades, Matthew Zachary has been standing up for patients inside a healthcare system that prioritizes profits.
“The People’s Voice in Healthcare”
– People magazine
“A Pioneer and Provocateur.” — Atlantic
“An Incomparable Storyteller.” — Klick Health
“MZ Is Why We Do What We Do.” — AbbVie
“A Real American Advocate.” — Walgreens
“He Really Rallied the Troops.” — Amgen
Press & Media
Short Bio
A 30-year brain cancer survivor, Matthew Zachary is the co-founder of We The Patients, a national movement channeling the growing frustration with American healthcare into collective action and civic power, and the author of We the Patients: Understanding, Navigating, and Surviving America’s Healthcare Nightmare (Wiley, May 2026).
Long Bio
Matthew Zachary was a twenty-one-year-old concert pianist studying to be a film composer when brain cancer changed everything. After surviving the tumor and treatment, he spent three decades fighting to make the American healthcare system less cruel, organizing millions through advocacy and media. He founded Stupid Cancer, the largest nonprofit for young adults with cancer, and launched The Stupid Cancer Show, widely regarded as the first healthcare podcast, which later evolved into the award-winning Out of Patients with Matthew Zachary. He produced Cancer Mavericks, a documentary series about the rebel patients who changed modern oncology. He is the cofounder and chief executive officer of We The Patients, a national movement organizing patients into collective civic power, and the author of We the Patients: Understanding, Navigating, and Surviving America’s Healthcare Nightmare (Wiley, May 2026) with Jen Singer.
Short Book Description:
We the Patients is an unfiltered look at what happens when the healthcare system fails real people. It’s a blueprint for fighting back, and a must-read for anyone navigating illness, caregiving, or just trying to stay human in a system that makes it harder and harder for us all.
Book Jacket cover
We the Patients: Understanding, Navigating, and Surviving America’s Healthcare Nightmare Wiley, May 19, 2026