Interesting piece by Matthew Zachary, the founder of Stupid Cancer, and how he tries to ‘grow the business’ while remaining true to Stupid Cancer’s manifesto:
Within the young adult cancer community, we hold no one’s disease above anyone else’s. It is not a contest and it is not about body parts. The playing field is leveled when you are just trying to live your life as a young adult and stupid cancer comes along. There are no “good” cancers. Benign tumors can be just as devastating as malignant ones. The burden of issues like isolation, fear, relationships, fertility, parenting, caregiving, careers and insurance are equally shared. We have the right to survive with dignity and quality. We deserve to be treated age-appropriately. Cancer survivorship is an art; and the art of your survivorship is how you choose to get busy living. This is who we are. We are one community. We are hundreds of thousands strong. We are changing the rules. We are Stupid Cancer!
Having a clear manifesto (or mission statement to use the more corporate term) provides a base for criteria for whom to partner with and what. No guarantees, as the Livestrong and Susan G. Komen cases illustrate, and governance and strong membership can also provide additional checks.
