Microsoft Skype along with Hopecam is helping young cancer patients to overcome their isolation and lonliness. Microsoft Skype team highlighted the story of Matt Forkas who is battling cancer with his army of 26 class mates.
However, when Matt looked into his web cam for the first time – his classmates on the other side didn’t see the bald, puffy, unfamiliar face that Matt saw – they saw their nine-year old friend bravely fighting Leukemia instead. From the moment Matt and his friends began their first video call, he was no longer battling cancer alone – he had an army of his 26 nine-year-old classmates fighting by his side. And that’s a formidable force.
Matt’s dad – Len – who might very well be in contention for the world’s best dad award – founded “Hopecam” after seeing how video calling helped end Matt’s social isolation during treatment. Despite the distance created by the disease, Matt was able to fight and defeat Leukemia together with his friends.
Matt won his battle but Hopecam continued to wage war on the social isolation caused by cancer treatment. After a few years dancing around the red tape of fire walls and public school IT departments, Skype provided a convenient solution to supply families with free video calling options while they juggled the costs of hospital visits and intense medical treatment.
Hopecam team now serves an annual average of 500 – 750 children with Skype-enabled tablets in their own battles with various types of cancer.
Read more at Skype’s Big Blog.