Stupid Cancer: Support and Community for Young Adults With Cancer

Best For

Adolescents and young adult patients, survivors, caregivers, and families affected by cancer who want age-appropriate community, connection, practical resources, and people who understand what cancer does to the rest of your life.

What They Do

Stupid Cancer is a national nonprofit focused on the adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer community. It was created to address a basic problem that cancer care long ignored: younger people with cancer are dealing with treatment while also dealing with school, work, dating, fertility, relationships, money, independence, identity, and the general chaos of becoming an adult. Today, Stupid Cancer builds community, connects AYAs with one another, provides targeted education and resources, and advocates for better AYA cancer care.

How They Can Help

·       Digital and in-person meetups designed specifically for the AYA cancer community.

·       Discussion series on issues that matter to younger patients, survivors, and caregivers.

·       AYA-focused self-advocacy tools and curated resources.

·       Community stories from patients, survivors, caregivers, and professionals.

·       CancerCon, the nation’s largest conference dedicated to people diagnosed with cancer between ages 15 and 39.

·       Advocacy and access-to-care initiatives focused on gaps in AYA cancer care.

Who It’s For

Stupid Cancer is primarily for people affected by cancer during adolescence and young adulthood, generally centered on the 15–39 AYA age range, along with caregivers and others supporting them.

Why This Resource Matters

Stupid Cancer helped turn young adult cancer from an overlooked life stage into a visible community with its own language, programs, advocacy, and expectations for care. CancerCon is its signature gathering: a national event where hundreds of young adult patients, survivors, caregivers, advocates, and healthcare stakeholders come together around the realities of AYA cancer.

How to Get Help

Start with Stupid Cancer’s website to explore upcoming meetups, discussion programs, CancerCon, community stories, and AYA-specific resources. Most people looking for connection or age-appropriate support can quickly find a current program or resource from the main site.

Disclosure: Matthew Zachary founded the organization that became Stupid Cancer and served as its longtime CEO.