Utah podcaster diagnosed with cancer aims to give back after 'overwhelming' community support

OREM — A typical day for Ben Wilson includes walking for miles in Provo Canyon while listening to books. His research notes are then transformed into episodes for the popular podcast "How to Take Over the World."

"I get to do what I love every single day," Wilson said. "I had a great career before, but there's just a big difference between working and feeling like you're not working every single day. And I feel like I just get to follow my curiosity and have a lot of fun."

The podcast, which focuses on lessons one can learn from the great leaders of history, has become a top 100 podcast, and done well enough that it became Wilson's full-time job last year.

But now, Wilson's typical day is nothing like what he ever expected: hours spent at a hospital receiving treatment for cancer.

A few months ago, Wilson started noticing that he was fatiguing much faster than usual on his walks. As he's always been an active person, this was strange for him.

"I was having aches and pains that I wasn't used to, and I couldn't eat well ... it got to a point where I realized there's no way this is normal. So I went and saw a primary care physician. It was my first time seeing her. I'm the kind of guy who avoids going to the doctor," he said.

The doctor noticed a lump in his abdomen and immediately ordered a CT scan for him to do on the following Monday. During an extended family dinner on Sunday, he told his family, "We will see what the test shows, but I don't feel like I have cancer."

"Turns out I was wrong," he said. "Now I know what having cancer feels like, but at the time, I guess I didn't."

Wilson got his results just hours after his scan — multiple masses had been located in his lungs and liver. Subsequent medical scans found tumors in his spine and brain.

Wilson was diagnosed with stage 4 high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma. The aggressive form of cancer had already spread to his brain, bones, lungs and liver, and he was told he had about a year to live.

While the outlook may be grim, Wilson said he is grateful for his medical team and the many cancer therapies and research that are constantly being released to help people going through illnesses.

Overwhelming community support

Wilson wasn't sure how much he wanted to publicly reveal and share about his cancer, but he knew his loyal audience members needed to know that his energy levels were much lower and he couldn't record as much as he used to.

"People are expecting to hear from you when you put yourself in the public eye. There's a lot of benefits that come with that, and there are a few drawbacks, and one of those is you do need to level with your audience. So I knew I needed to say something," he said.

A close friend of the Wilson family created a fundraiser to help pay for medical expenses so Wilson can spend time with his wife and four kids and focus on fighting the cancer without financial stress. Wilson, at first, was opposed to doing a fundraiser as he preferred to keep the situation quieter.

"But I had some good friends who talked me out of that approach and basically said, 'Look, if you want any chance of survival you need some resources here.' So we decided to do the GoFundMe and go more public about what was happening," he said.

He released a podcast episode about his cancer, which has been shared across social media with hundreds of comments and posts expressing support.

Within a matter of days, the "Take Over the World" community raised almost $400,000 for the Wilson family.

"It restores your faith in humanity. It's unbelievable to see the number of people who have supported me. It warms your heart," he said, adding that he's been contacted by podcast listeners from all over the world wanting to help.

Thanks to the generosity of the community, the family has options to explore medical solutions that they may not have had access to otherwise. Because there has been so much exposure on his case, the Wilsons were even contacted by some drug companies who have reached out to them to help lower the cost as well.

The donations specifically will go toward an expensive medication not covered by his insurance called Tarlatamab that helps extend survival rates by a year or two. The specialized treatment doesn't start for another six weeks, as he has to complete his first four rounds of chemotherapy.

While he and his family are overwhelmed by the support and so appreciative of each person who has donated, Wilson feels a little bad knowing there are so many other people "going through just as much and don't have as many resources behind them."

"Now, I'm just thinking about how to give back and what that might look like in the future to help others who don't have the same platform that I have," he said.

He hopes if anyone feels inclined to support him, that they consider donating instead to the Huntsman Cancer Institute* to help all people going through the cancer fight.

'The show goes on'

Wilson's future is still unknown, but for now, he is just taking it step by step. He had a motto when he started this battle — "every day better than the last" — but the motto did not last long, he joked.

"Every day cannot be better than the last, as hard as I try. If I set my mind to something, I can improve and get better. But with cancer, it's very up and down," he said. "Sometimes making it through the day is a victory, and that's it. And you just got to learn to shift your mindset to believe that."

Wilson said he thinks he is fortunate to be going through this trial while living in Utah. He didn't grow up in Utah, and he and his family moved here in 2022.

"The amount of meals we have had brought to our door and people who have come and helped watch our kids and just wrapped their arms around us ... it's just such a charitable, giving place," he said. "It's never a good thing to go through cancer, but if you have to go through it somewhere, Utah is not a bad place to be."

And as for the "How to Take Over the World" podcast? Well, "the show goes on."

"I'm not making any hard promises on how many podcast episodes I'll put out, you know, things are tricky right now, but there will be more episodes in the future. It's still a form of therapy for me and something I love to do and helps take my mind off treatments," Wilson said.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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