Out of Patients EP396: Be Like Zach: Love, Loss, and Legacy
Jonathan Wall and Jennifer (Kleeman) Wall lost their son, Zach. What they did next is the reason this episode matters. They turned unspeakable grief into something that helps other families navigating pediatric cancer.
We talk about what Zach was like, what “Be Like Zach” actually means, and why the system still makes it way too hard for families to get the support they need.
This isn’t a grief story. It’s a story about mission, clarity, and what it means to rebuild your life on purpose.
They didn’t want to become advocates. But they had no choice. Now they’re out there making noise, building Zach’s Bridge, and refusing to let other families fall through the cracks.
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when people turn pain into action, listen to this. It’s one of the most powerful conversations I’ve ever had.
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Producer
Matthew Zachary invented healthcare podcasting before podcasting was a thing. In 2007, fresh off building Stupid Cancer, he grabbed a mic, launched The Stupid Cancer Show, and started broadcasting patient stories on internet talk radio when everyone else was still writing blogs.
19 years and 2000+ episodes later, Out of Patients is still the most unfiltered healthcare show anywhere.
Matthew does not do softball interviews. Brain cancer at 21 taught him that time is finite and bullshit is expensive. He gets guests to say things they would never tell Congress. CEOs admit what is broken. Patients name what actually hurts. Scientists explain what industry does not want you to know. The conversations other shows will not touch because of sponsor concerns or political correctness.
What makes him different: he has been on both sides of the mic. Featured in documentaries. Keynoted hundreds of conferences. Published in The Hill. Now marching into Washington with a national patient constituency behind him.
But he has also been the guy puking from radiation, fighting insurance denials, and watching friends die from paperwork.
That dual perspective creates interviews you will not hear anywhere else. He knows which questions make power squirm because he has asked them from hospital beds and boardrooms both.
No pre-approved questions. No PR handlers. No seven-minute segments. Just real conversations with people brave enough to tell the truth about American healthcare.
Still the show where whistleblowers go first. Still the show … Read More
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