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Matt Scalici: Faith Leads to Founding Fighting Cancer Network

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When Birmingham businessman Matt Scalici first learned that his wife had cancer, they each had a lot of questions. Those questions, partnered with fear and anxiety, taught Scalici that cancer patients, family members, and caregivers need better resources to make it through the difficult journey. The Fighting Cancer Network app–which debuts this month in the Birmingham market–is the result of Scalici’s experience and is a tribute to his late wife Ginger, who passed away in 2015 from lung cancer.

Matt Scalici
Matt Scalici is a father, grandfather, and founder of the Fighting Cancer Network. Photo Credit: Mateo Zarate, Photographer & Creative Director, createnuevo.com.

Filling a Need. Finding out that you or a loved one has cancer can be debilitating, Scalici said. “When a person receives a cancer diagnosis, most of us find ourselves with our heads in the clouds, in a fog, and we usually don’t even remember what the doctor says after the news,” he said. “It’s a shocking thing to hear, and you are filled with anxiety and fear.” According to Scalici, you want primarily to get information “but it’s often near impossible.” Patients and caregivers are desperate for answers from trusted sources about their cancer. The Fighting Cancer Network app provides information that one needs after hearing that diagnosis and does it in a way that’s unavailable anywhere else. It then continues to give the user information throughout their cancer treatment. In talking with medical professionals, they agreed with Scalici–that there was a huge need for such a storehouse of cancer knowledge and expertise.

Fighting Cancer Network logoThe free app, which is downloadable on the Apple app store and Google Play, uses video to provide practical advice to patients, caregivers, and others affected by their diagnosis. It will be free to all users and will be supported by ads. When fully launched, it will be available on both IOS and Android smartphones, tablets, and even televisions. For Scalici, who has a background in broadcasting, video is a great outlet for sharing information. Video, he said, is the perfect teaching tool; it’s much easier to process than words. “Research shows that you process an image 60,000 times faster than text, which means the human brain can learn and retain much more using video,” he said. “Each video in the app will last an average of six minutes which is proven to be the perfect size for holding someone’s attention.” Each cancer covered on the app will include hundreds of videos with information on every facet of the diagnosis, the cancer itself, treatment, and more. Scalici previously had experience with Eternal Word Television Network(EWTN) and the Golf Channel, both of which are experiences he said equipped him well to have the vision and to do the work for The Fighting Cancer Network.

Scalici family with Mother Angelica
Matt Scalici was a personal friend to Mother Angelica and was her first employee at the Eternal Word Television Network. He is seen here with Mother Angelica, his wife Ginger, and two of their three children.

A lifelong Catholic, Scalici had a meaningful work and personal relationship with Mother Angelica (the founder of the EWTN, based out of Irondale, and host of her “Mother Angelica Live” show). “When I graduated from the University of Alabama, I went to see Mother and asked for prayer,” Scalici remembered. “She told me about her plans, and I became her first employee. I worked for her for 13 years, and she taught me leadership and about God’s provision. She had a huge influence on me, and we had a lively friendship until her death.” Watch this video to learn how they met.

 

His work at EWTN (which went on to become the world’s largest Catholic television network, reaching 264 million households globally) led to his work with another widely successful cable network venture.

Scalici was part of the Alabama-based executive team that launched the Golf Channel in 1995 and became Vice President of Network Operations; it was television’s first 24-hour single sports station and continues to thrive today as an integral part of the golf landscape. As Scalici aged, he longed to do something meaningful. And that’s when Mike Ousley, a veteran in television production, came to him with his idea. “Mike called me in August 2019 and asked if we could meet for coffee to discuss his business idea. I prayed about it and then told him I wanted to do it,” he said, “but then Covid hit. It ended up giving us time to pause and make plans, consider what we wanted to do.” At both EWTN and the Golf Channel, Scalici said a key to success was that they knew their audience–something that they are mindful of with The Fighting Cancer Network. “We know our audience, and we know what they need, partly because I’ve been through it,” he explained.

Matt Scalici with adult children
Matt Scalici is the father of three adult children and a grandfather of eight. He is seen here with his children. L to R: Lauren, Matthew and Anna. Photo credit: Holli Hobbs Photography

Wife’s Legacy. At the center of the idea for the app and the way it has evolved has been Scalici’s late wife. “There is hardly a part of this that hasn’t been influenced by my experience with my wife,” he said. “I was a loving caregiver and my wife’s cancer experience was a short one. But all the things that happen to every cancer patient and the people that love them happened in my life.” While wife Ginger’s cancer battle was brief–she was diagnosed with lung cancer in February of 2015, and died just 25 days later on March 9- it was illustrative of the difficult, often confusing, and overwhelming journey experienced by so many millions in America and around the world each year. Scalici credits Ousely’s vision as something that touched him on a very personal level. “He came up with the idea, and when he shared it with me, I connected with it so much,” Scalici said. “I identified with what the app would do for people because I had been through it with my wife.” According to Scalici, the app is designed with information that he himself wishes he’d had when Ginger was sick. “In designing it, we want to help with the questions: What’s in the best interest of the cancer patient? What does a cancer patient need? Would this help in their everyday lives?” he explained. “These are the things that patients and caregivers need.” If he’d had such a resource during his wife’s diagnosis, the information and practical help would have been easier to come by.

A Love for Birmingham. Scalici was born and raised in Birmingham, he and his wife raised their family here, and his children and grandchildren all live in the area today. The city is also integral to his faith story. “I was born in Birmingham and lived in Homewood until my parents built a house on Old Leeds Road about two miles from Our Lady of the Angels Monastery,” he said. “We attended mass every Sunday there with the sisters, and it was mysterious and wonderful. They sang like angels.” He attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic School, John Carroll Catholic High School, and then graduated from the University of Alabama; he attends St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, where he and his wife were founding members. The only time he’s lived away from Alabama was from 1994 to 2000 when he worked at the Golf Channel. Today, he lives in a “charming little 100-year-old grist mill on the Little Cahaba River” and enjoys time with his 91-year-old mother, three grown children, and eight grandchildren. “Five of my grandchildren were born after my wife passed away, and we like to say that Ginger (or Gigi, as she was called) met them before I did,” he said.

Creation of videos in the Fighting Cancer Network app
The Fighting Cancer Network app’s purpose is to be a resource of support to anyone that is facing a cancer diagnosis. Here is a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes creation of the instructional videos found in the app.

Unveiling the App. It’s appropriate that The Fighting Cancer Network app debuts in the city that has meant so much to Scalici’s upbringing and family journey. The pilot program was unveiled in May, using Birmingham as a testing ground for the app. “If you’re in the Birmingham area, you’ll start seeing ads, seeing things on social media,” Scalici said. “We want to see how it operates, find out what needs to be improved or added.” The pilot program features breast and prostate cancer and includes information presented in a variety of unique ways. Videos are the highlight with approximately 20 main videos and hundreds of additional instructional videos with information from medical professionals across the country. “The idea is that we will answer questions about your cancer and curate videos with information you need,” he explained. “The videos, mixed with exquisite 3-D graphics, provide you with the information you need as you start treatment. How often do you go to your doctor, and they ask if you have questions and you’re just stuck? The app gives you the information you need so that you can talk with your doctor.” Scalici said that Art Franklin, a familiar Birmingham broadcasting face, hosts many of the primary videos; and then professionals from such hospitals and research facilities as UAB, Vanderbilt, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Mayo Clinic, and Harvard provide information in supplementary videos. “We’ve been so blessed with our team for the pilot program,” he said. “The oncologists, producers, directors, and more have just been wonderful.”

Art Franklin creating video for the Fighting Cancer Network app
Birmingham broadcaster Art Franklin hosts several of the primary videos found in the Fighting Cancer Network app.

In addition to instructional videos, the Fighting Cancer Network app has other tools that will help patients and caregivers on their journey. It includes a journaling tool to share your story with friends and family; a note-taking portion and the ability to highlight information; a glossary of terms; and more. “Those who try it first will learn about its unique features,” Scalici said, “and we hope they’ll see how helpful it can be.” Ultimately, it will feature the 10 most pervasive cancers (including childhood cancer), and funding is currently underway to develop the full app.‘The sooner the better’ is our plan to launch nationwide,” Scalici said.

Bringing Hope. The goal of the app, Scalici said, is to bring hope to its users. “Hope is a powerful tool because hope is central to your thoughts,” he said. “Knowledgeable patients are better patients, and it boosts your attitude and your ability to fight. Knowledge gives you the hope you need.” Hope, ultimately, is an offspring of faith–something important to the “strong Christians with powerful faith backgrounds” who work at the Fighting Cancer Network. “Faith comes into our work,” he said. “It and hope work together. It’s a powerful thing.” Visit www.fightingcancernetwork.com to learn more. 

-Cheryl Wray

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