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