Podcaster Facing Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis Now Wants to Help Others Fight the Disease

A Diagnosis That Came Out of Nowhere

For Ben Wilson, a typical day meant walking for miles through Provo Canyon while listening to books, then transforming his research notes into episodes for his popular podcast, "How to Take Over the World." The show, which focuses on lessons drawn from the great leaders of history, had climbed to a top 100 podcast and grown successful enough to become Wilson's full-time job. Then, without warning, everything changed.

A doctor noticed a lump in his abdomen and immediately ordered a CT scan. During an extended family dinner that Sunday, Wilson told his family he didn't feel like he had cancer — but he was wrong. Results came back within hours of his scan, revealing multiple masses in his lungs and liver. Subsequent scans then found tumors in his spine and brain. Wilson was diagnosed with stage 4 high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma — an aggressive cancer that had already spread to his brain, bones, lungs, and liver. He was told he had about a year to live.

Going Public and the Flood of Support That Followed

Wilson wasn't sure how much he wanted to publicly reveal 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. Wilson was initially opposed to doing a fundraiser, preferring to keep the situation quieter. But close friends pushed back, telling him that if he wanted any chance of survival, he needed resources — so the family launched a GoFundMe and went more public about what was happening.

After he released a podcast episode about his diagnosis — which spread across social media with hundreds of comments and posts expressing support — the "Take Over the World" community raised almost $400,000 for the Wilson family within a matter of days. Wilson said the response was staggering, adding that he had been contacted by podcast listeners from all over the world wanting to help. Thanks to that generosity, the family gained access to medical options they may not have had otherwise — and some drug companies even reached out to help lower treatment costs.

Wilson recently received genetic test results from a liver biopsy showing he is positive for a genetic marker likely to respond to a drug called Tarlatamab — which, in many cases, can extend expected survival by a year or two.

Turning Gratitude Into Action

Rather than simply accepting the support, Wilson is already thinking about how to give back — and he's encouraging anyone who feels inclined to help him to consider donating instead to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, to assist all people fighting cancer. He reflected on the meals delivered to his door, the people who helped watch his four kids, and the sense of community that surrounded his family, saying that if you have to go through cancer somewhere, Utah is not a bad place to be.

Wilson's future remains uncertain, and he's learned to take things step by step. He had initially adopted the motto "every day better than the last," but quickly found it didn't hold up — because with cancer, he said, it's very up and down.

The Show Goes On

Wilson isn't making any hard promises about how many podcast episodes he'll produce, acknowledging that things are difficult right now — but he says there will be more episodes in the future, and that the show remains a form of therapy and something that helps take his mind off treatments.

The podcast has been running for nine years, having started with episodes on Napoleon, Steve Jobs, and Vladimir Putin. It analyzes the lives of some of the greatest men and women to ever live, examining their strategies, tactics, mindset, and work habits. Now, Wilson's own story of resilience, generosity, and community has become just as compelling as any chapter he's ever recorded — a real-world lesson in what it means to face the hardest fight of your life with grace and a desire to lift others along the way.