Out of Patients EP422: Reenactments, Rants, and Really F*cked Up Insurance
Tracy Weiss bled through her work clothes while her doctor called her dramatic. Then she built an army.
That’s the kind of guest who reminds me why I’m proud to still be behind the mic after 17 years on the air.
Tracy sat in that bathroom stall, bleeding, terrified, while medical professionals who took oaths to “do no harm” told her she was overreacting. Her tumor had grown through her cervix by the time they finally listened.
Here’s what grinds my gears: Half of oncologists still skip the fertility conversation. Insurance treats egg freezing like it’s a spa treatment. Young women lose their shot at motherhood because someone decided that information wasn’t worth five minutes.
Tracy took that rage and built The Chick Mission—a national nonprofit that puts fertility preservation advocates in cancer centers. Real people. Real conversations. Real options. They’ve trained over 500 navigators who make sure no woman sits in silence wondering if chemo will steal her future family.
We laughed about the absurd parts too. Like reenacting her medical trauma in my cramped apartment using her mother’s stolen china as props. (Her mother still doesn’t know. If you’re reading this, Mrs. Weiss, I’m sorry but your daughter made me do it.) We bonded over Jerry Springer helmets and chopped liver and the dark humor that keeps survivors sane.
This conversation cuts to why AYAs still fight battles they shouldn’t have to fight. But it also shows what happens when one pissed-off patient refuses to let her story die in a medical file.
Matthew Zachary
Producer
Matthew Zachary never planned on becoming a healthcare advocate. At 21, while training to be a concert pianist, he was diagnosed with brain cancer and told he might never play again. That was nearly thirty years ago. Spoiler alert - he survived! Instead of returning to the recital hall, he set out to change the healthcare system that nearly broke him.
In 2007, Matthew founded Stupid Cancer, a groundbreaking nonprofit that gave young adults with cancer something they’d never had before: a voice, a community, and the freedom to be angry. Through national conferences and online platforms, it helped millions of patients and families find connection and purpose in the face of isolation.
That same year, he launched The Stupid Cancer Show, the first talk radio program to cover the patient experience with the urgency of breaking news. It later evolved into Out of Patients, his award-winning podcast known for its honest conversations and unapologetic tone. His media work also includes the acclaimed documentary The Cancer Mavericks, which tells the story of the rebel patients who helped transform modern oncology.
Today, Matthew leads Matthew Zachary Worldwide, a media and consulting company that helps brands and organizations better understand the real needs of patients and how to co-create solutions with them, not just for them. His upcoming book, We the Patients: A Field Guide to Surviving American Healthcare (Wiley, June 2026), draws on three decades of lived experience and advocacy to help readers navigate and challenge the U.S. healthcare system.
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Out of Patients EP421: Oy Vey! It's Libby Amber Shayo
