Carmen Monge-Montero, Researcher and Global Cancer Advocate, shared on LinkedIn:
“100 MANO Beyond Cancer interviews later… Check the stats on the pics!
Six years ago, for my project with A Fresh Chapter, I sent a message to Andrea Ruano asking if she would be willing to talk about one of the hardest experiences of her life, cancer.
I honestly didn’t know if anyone would say yes at that moment, but she did Today, 100 people have said YES!!! And for that I’m feel so grateful.
I believe MANO Beyond Cancer is unique because:
- Survivor-to-Survivor: MANO is a 100% independent project led by a survivor speaking to survivors. No hidden agendas, private funding, or products for sale. Just honest chats about the cancer journey.
- Global representation: The project has documented stories representing 74 countries. One of the few that achieved representation from almost every country in Latin America, breaking cultural barriers.
- A Platform for everyone: MANO brought voices often ignored, including refugees, migrants, LGBTIQ+, and neurodivergent people. It also have survivors from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), whose stories are rarely heard in high-income countries.
- Humanising the diagnosis: Instead of focusing on treatment or cancer types, the interviews explore the physical, emotional, and social impacts on a person’s life. Like ‘superpowers’ that emerge from the experience, such as resilience and humor.
- Ethical and voluntary commitment: This is a 6-year voluntary and self-funded project. Every participant reviewed their video and they agreed on uploading them.
I’ve had the privilege of meeting people from every continent, different cultures, healthcare systems, ages, and backgrounds. It was not a piece of cake; every interview meant finding participants, scheduling across time zones, dealing with internet connections, recording, editing, creating graphics and descriptions, and countless hours of planning.
And none of this would have been possible without Mónica Camacho Vargas, who spent 4 years editing every interview, communicating with survivors, creating content on social media and always believing in MANO.
While this chapter comes to an end, the mission doesn’t.
Over the coming months, I’ll continue interviewing cancer survivors and patient advocates through the Lived Experience Hub at OncoDaily, bringing more lived experiences to a global audience.
MANO showed us more than we could imagine, and it will always be a place where I met many of my best friends.
To every person who trusted us with their story…
Thank you. You changed our life far more than we ever changed yours.”
