About The Glaucomfleckens

Our Story of Medicine, Humor, Crisis, and Advocacy

Here's Where It All Started

Over 20 Years Of Scrappy Resiliency

While you might know Will as that wisecracking ophthalmologist from the internet, or Kristin as that also-wisecracking co-survivor advocate, there’s a lot more to our story

2006-2008

Texas

Young Lovebirds

Our shared story goes back so much further than that – back to 2006, when we were fresh-faced Texas Tech undergrads who met and decided we’d be snarky together forever.

2008-2013

New Hampshire

Med School, Grad School... and Cancer

Our next stop was Dartmouth, where we celebrated our nuptials with his-and-hers graduate degrees (an M.D. for Will and an M.A. in cognitive neuroscience for Kristin). Also, a baby, even though everyone warns you against having babies in med school. The baby is pretty cool, though.

On the not-so-bright side, Will was diagnosed with testicular cancer in January 2013... for the first time.

Yep. First time.

2013-2017

Iowa

Residency... and Cancer Again

Freshly recovered from testicular cancer and armed with two more degrees, we relocated once again to Iowa City, where Will was an ophthalmology resident at the University of Iowa. Meanwhile, Kristin was beginning her career in higher education and marketing. Also, we had another poorly-timed baby, who also turned out to be pretty cool.

And then of course, life decided we couldn't just have normal chaos. Will was diagnosed with his second primary cancer Will also went through his first occurrence of testicular cancer. Yes, ‘first’. Because if one mutating testicle wasn’t enough, it happened again – during Will’s ophthalmology residency at the University of Iowa.

2015

The Internet

Coping Through Humor

While we tried to keep everything afloat, Will found solace in something he'd always loved: comedy. In 2015, he began writing satirical articles for the medical humor site GomerBlog. In 2016, he started posting jokes on a little old website called Twitter (lol). And in 2018, Kristin joined the fun – mostly to heckle Will, but also to share her story as the spouse of a young adult cancer patient.

This was where we first got invested with the medical side of the internet, and we started making friends across the country. Little did we know how long some of those connections would last.

2017-2020

Oregon

Okay, Let's Be Real Adults Now

Residency was behind us at last, and Will was all out of testicles, so it was time for us to build a real life of our own. Our family settled in Oregon, where Will became a private practice ophthalmologist, and Kristin continued her education career. For a while, things finally felt like they were going right.

2020

May 11

Just Kidding

Will gave Kristin the worst Mother’s Day gift ever – a sudden cardiac arrest in his sleep.

Kristin called 911 and performed 10 minutes of CPR until paramedics arrived. Thankfully he survived and made a full physical recovery, but the trauma of that experience changed all of our lives forever in ways we never expected.

2020-Onward

Oregon, but also everywhere

Picking Up The Pieces

After everything we'd gone through, the cardiac arrest was the devastating cherry on top of our giant trauma sundae. We had to pick up the pieces and rebuild. Our experiences, scars, and efforts to heal from these terrifying moments were intertwined – but at the same time, very different for each of us.

But, we've always been in it together. And as we moved towards healing, we also created something incredibly special – a space to advocate for change in healthcare.

Will's Journey

Comedian, Doctor, Survivor

Will was, of course, deeply shaken by what had happened. The fear of another health crisis would always loom. But he coped with this new horror story the way he had with all the rest: humor and connection. Things got better, and putting his energy into creating silly social media content helped bring him back down to earth.

He’d begun writing for GomerBlog in 2015, had been posting on Twitter since 2016. Following the cardiac arrest – in the midst of the pandemic – he turned to TikTok to connect with other doctors experiencing perhaps the most devastating health crisis in living memory.

Everyone desperately needed a laugh. He decided to be the one to provide it.

Kristin’s Journey

From Co-Survivor to Advocate

Things weren’t so straightforward for Kristin. At the time, there was very little language that accurately described her experience. Despite the relief she felt about Will’s survival, there was a fog that wouldn’t lift – something she would later understand was dissociative PTSD. But, at the same time, she was angry about the way certain moments unfolded. That amidst the chaos of the darkest, most terrifying moment of her life, she’d been forgotten.

But when she came across the term “co-survivor”, everything changed. She had something to hold onto – and a way to communicate the reality that our healthcare system is underequipped to support co-survivors in the way they need.

A natural storyteller, she began to write about her experience. It was a powerful coping mechanism that allowed her to channel these heavy emotions into something beautiful, and it wasn’t long before she realized that other people might benefit, too. Both online and away from it, she began to share her story, advocate for others like her, and build a co-survivor community of her own.

Now We're Here!

As the Glaucomfleckens, we transform our clip show of crappy life and healthcare experiences into laughter, education, and advocacy. Together, we’ve tried to turn pain into something beautiful, hopeful, and affirming.

Will still creates medical-themed comedy shorts for an audience of over 6 million across social media. Kristin teaches healthcare workers about the patient and family experience and advocates for caregivers and “co-survivors,” CPR and AED use, sudden cardiac arrest preparedness, and young adult & adolescent cancer care.

Together, we’re building a real values-based platform for entertainment and educational media that brings everyone who experiences the healthcare system together, and inspires real change.