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The Many Faces of Cancer
As a cancer survivor and thriver, I know how important community and support are when you are facing a cancer diagnosis. That’s why I created The Many Faces of Cancer Podcast.
Each week I will be interviewing amazing people with heartfelt and inspirational stories from all sides of the cancer journey: patients, survivors and thrivers, caregivers, family and friends, and professionals. I may even throw in a bonus episode once in a while talking about things that are important to us all.
We never think it will happen to us, until it does. This podcast will be about community, knowing you’re not alone in your journey. It will also be an opportunity for people to share their stories and hopefully help others.
I hope you will all tune in. While it will be cancer stories, we all learn from others and, ultimately, these are human stories, applicable to many other areas of life.
The Many Faces of Cancer
Cancer, Data and Hope: How AI is Changing the Future with Russ Read-Barrow
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AI is everywhere right now—but could it actually help people living with cancer?
In this fascinating conversation, Melissa sits down with stage IV colorectal cancer survivor Russ Read Barrow, who decided not to wait for technology to change healthcare. Instead, he began building AI tools to help manage his own cancer journey.
After multiple surgeries, chemotherapy treatments, and metastatic disease spreading to his liver and lungs, Russ realized he possessed something incredibly valuable: his own medical data. Using AI, he created tools to organize his records, track symptoms, manage medications, summarize his health history, and even make his medical information searchable.
His project, F*ck Cancer with AI, has grown into a resource that encourages patients to take ownership of their health data and discover how artificial intelligence can reduce the overwhelming administrative burden of living with cancer.
Melissa and Russ discuss:
- Russ's unexpected colorectal cancer diagnosis at age 39
- Living with stage IV cancer while maintaining hope
- Why optimism isn't the same as toxic positivity
- How AI can help patients organize complex medical information
- The importance of owning and understanding your health data
- The future of personalized cancer treatments and AI-driven medicine
- Why staying alive today may open doors to tomorrow's breakthroughs
This conversation isn't about replacing doctors with AI—it's about empowering patients with better information, greater organization, and renewed hope.
Whether you're living with cancer, caring for someone who is, or simply curious about how AI may transform medicine, this episode offers a fascinating glimpse into what the future may hold.
Resources:
Russ' Websites: http://knownandcited.com/ and http://fcancerwith.ai/
Russ' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellrb/
Follow:
Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/melissagrosboll/
My website: https://melissagrosboll.com
Email me: drmelissagrosboll@gmail.com