Sangha of Auspicious Companions

He Wanted Kids to Understand Cancer. So He Turned It Into a Game

When Daniel Zhang was nine, he watched his grandmother lose her hair to chemotherapy and couldn’t understand why medicine could look so much like harm. That confusion never left him, and when his grandfather was later diagnosed with cancer — and Zhang saw the same bewilderment on his seven-year-old sister’s face — it became the seed of something purposeful. He and his classmate Zachary Tou, both 17, built *Tumor Tactics*, a Pokémon-inspired card game that teaches children cancer biology through the same mechanics they already love — where, as Zhang explains, “chemotherapy can be a really powerful treatment, but you have to roll a die to determine how effective it is, and you might have to skip your next turn to recover from its side effects.” What began as one boy trying to translate grief into language a child could hold has grown into a student-led nonprofit running workshops across San Diego schools, reaching kids from kindergarten through eighth grade. Perhaps most quietly remarkable is what happens at the end of each session: Zhang and Tou open the floor for discussion, and children — unbidden — begin sharing their own family stories, needing not just explanation, but the invitation to be heard.

Be The Change

Think of someone who may be quietly carrying a confusing or frightening experience that they don’t have words for yet. Today, ask them what’s been on their mind and simply offer your listening presence. Or, if words are too much, find a simple game to play with them.