Name: What happened when I open-sourced my brain cancer
Uploaded: 2015-07-16T15:46:59Z
Duration: 10 min 42 s
Description: When artist Salvatore Iaconesi was diagnosed with brain cancer, he refused to be a passive patient -- which, he points out, means "one who waits." So he hacked his brain scans, posted them online, and invited a global community to pitch in on a "cure." This sometimes meant medical advice, and it sometimes meant art, music, emotional support -- from more than half a million people.

Salvatore Iaconesi: What happened when I open-sourced my brain cancer

What happened when I open-sourced my brain cancer

When artist Salvatore Iaconesi was diagnosed with brain cancer, he refused to be a passive patient -- which, he points out, means "one who waits." So he hacked his brain scans, posted them online, and invited a global community to pitch in on a "cure." This sometimes meant medical advice, and it sometimes meant art, music, emotional support -- from more than half a million people.

Instead of accepting isolation and silence after a brain cancer diagnosis, one individual published his medical data online and invited the world to help. Over half a million people responded, offering not just medical advice, but also art, music, and emotional support. By open-sourcing his illness, he built a global network that included doctors, artists, and volunteers, reshaping his path to healing and redefining what it means to be a patient. This experiment proved that care can emerge from many sources, and engagement transforms the experience of illness.