Speaker | Panelist
Making it inspirational
Benjamin speaking at the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville, Virginia
Benjamin Rubenstein motivates others from conference centers to classrooms to transform their own struggle into fortune.
At 16, doctors found a malignant tumor growing in his left hip bone. It was Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. The year-long treatment for that included radiotherapy, surgery, and anthracycline chemotherapy.
One of his chemo drugs caused genetic mutations that led to myelodysplastic syndrome, a cancer of the bone marrow. Treatment for that at age 19 included an umbilical cord stem cell transplant, which led to fungal pneumonia, graft versus host disease, and many tallies to his Puke Count.
On the actual or virtual stage, Benjamin combines humor and profound openness to enlighten and inspire. He demonstrates the rules he lived by that led to his proton-beam focus to return to health. In his talk, he challenges others to reconsider the correlation between “suffering” and “bad,” asking: what can I gain from pain that nobody can take away?
Speech Topics
Benjamin will customize his talk to fit your needs. Speech topics have included:
The Cancer-Slaying Super Man
Benjamin was a timid teen who hid behind his corkscrew curls and shared Kevin Hart’s height when he was diagnosed with bone cancer. So, he devised rules he lived by—like “don’t complain,” and, “don’t show pain or fear”—that helped him endure. Benjamin demonstrates the capacity to become superhuman, or at least suspend reality and believe you’re superhuman, proving anyone can bear the adversity they face.
Audiences will learn that they can empower themselves to become more resilient. Individuals who work as medical professionals will also learn that patient perspectives fall on a spectrum and that relating to individual patients makes a difference in their and their family members’ lives.
Embracing Diversity and How to “Own It”
We’re all outsiders in some ways. And it can be easy for others to make assumptions about us based on what makes us different. But if we can “own” our uniqueness, then we have the power to alter paradigms. Besides, with 7.5 billion people on Earth, the world would be boring without our diversity.
Audiences will learn that diversity comes in many forms, they’ll gain an increased willingness to embrace the benefits of a diverse campus, school or community, and they’ll realize the differences between us are what make us unique and interesting.
Reviews
“His perspective from the patient’s experience was absolutely an essential part of our dialogue [at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School Drug Pricing and Accessibility Symposium], and reminded the academics and industry in the room why we all work in this area: to help patients.” — Stacey Lee, associate professor of law, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
“Listening to Benjamin Rubenstein. I think he might be Superman. But funnier.” — Rebecca Nellis, Chief Mission Officer, Cancer and Careers
"Benjamin’s story is not like others any of us had heard. His humor, self-awareness and total openness inspired a real and valuable discussion about what it means to discover who you are through cancer treatment…and then about how you can go on to more than live your life after.” — Lauren Cates, President, Society for Oncology Massage
Some Past Talks
Joining a panel at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School’s Drug Accessibility and Pricing Symposium
Benjamin offered his perspective on being a former patient who had access to effective and pricey drugs. He also shared about some of his friends in the young adult cancer community who either can’t afford or don’t have access to drugs and the sacrifices they make to try and become well.
Speaking at The Way Station in Brooklyn for an event co-hosted by taste of science New York and Sexology On Tap
Benjamin spoke about banking his sperm as a teenager, which froze his biological clock and acted as insurance against him having to come to terms with his sterility. You can read about this in his essay A Teenage Boy and His Parents Walk Into a Sperm Bank.
Speaking at Living with Sarcoma: Facing Today with Hope for Tomorrow, hosted by the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Benjamin spoke about the sense of personal power he felt when he had cancer, and how post-treatment late effects could chip away at that power. His approach to regaining that power was to “justify nothing.” Meaning, stop justifying your worthiness or normalcy in order to be accepted by others or yourself.
Speaking to leaders of the Alpha Omicron Pi GMU sorority at George Mason University
Benjamin taught attendees the public speaking techniques that could lead them to become rock stars on stage or even during a weekly meeting.
Some places where Benjamin has spoken include:
