Wade Swenson: Zachary Schroeder’s experience with rural patients and families in his TEDx talk
Wade Swenson, Program Manager at ACCC and Founder of Rural Cancer Institute, shared a post on LinkedIn by Zachary Schroeder, Medical student at The University of Kansas and Co-Founder of The Rural Cancer Institute, adding:
“Zachary Schroeder is a friend and co-founder of the Rural Cancer Institute. His story is part of our organization’s origin story.
I’ll be in Lawrence on April 18th to participate in the TEDx event. Zack’s experience reflects what so many rural patients and families endure every day. It’s a powerful reminder of why we do this work – and why it matters.
Learn more about our mission.”
Quoting Zachary Schroeder’s post:
“On April 18th, I’ll be giving a TEDx talk in Lawrence, Kansas called ‘The Road to Nowhere: Rethinking Rural Cancer Care in America.’
This isn’t just my story – it’s a story about a system that’s failing millions.
Rural Americans are more likely to die from cancer than those in urban areas. Not because the disease is different, but because the care is harder to reach. Fewer specialists. Longer wait times. Underfunded clinics. No clinical trials nearby. Even basic follow-up can mean hours on the road – if you have transportation at all.
I saw this firsthand as a young adult cancer patient from rural Kansas. Yes, I had to travel far for care – but the real issue was knowing that most people don’t have the resources, support, or privilege to do the same.
This talk is about that gap – and how we begin to close it. It’s about policy, innovation, and the power of storytelling to shift how we see and serve rural communities.”
More posts featuring Wade Swenson.
-
Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer 2024
December 6-8, 2024
-
ESMO 2024 Congress
September 13-17, 2024
-
ASCO Annual Meeting
May 30 - June 4, 2024
-
Yvonne Award 2024
May 31, 2024
-
OncoThon 2024, Online
Feb. 15, 2024
-
Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023