Science & Technology

How Nearly Dying Helped Me Discover My Own Cure (and Many More) | David Fajgenbaum | TED

Published

12 months ago

September 19, 2025

Physician-scientist David Fajgenbaum was dying from a rare disease that didn’t have a cure — until he discovered a lifesaving drug that wasn’t originally intended for his condition. In an astonishing talk, he shares how his near-death experience led him to cofound the nonprofit Every Cure, which is using AI to uncover hidden treatments in existing medicines in order to save lives. (This ambitious idea is part of The Audacious Project, TED’s initiative to inspire and fund global change.) (Recorded at TED2025 on April 10, 2025)

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43 Comments

@kernrichie244

September 19, 2025 at 8:52 pm

Jesus Christ is lord

Reply
- @republicansociopaths
  
  September 19, 2025 at 9:20 pm
  
  He has nothing to do with this.
  
  Reply
- @Bitingsherbertlemons
  
  September 19, 2025 at 9:30 pm
  
  100%-Amen.❤️
  
  Reply
@janlloyd9474

September 19, 2025 at 9:01 pm

😂

Reply
- @janlloyd9474
  
  September 19, 2025 at 9:02 pm
  
  Jesus ?
  
  Reply
@av17bestchannelonyoutube66

September 19, 2025 at 9:08 pm

*JESUS IS KING!!..*

Reply
- @Bitingsherbertlemons
  
  September 19, 2025 at 9:31 pm
  
  Amen ❤️
  
  Reply
@sunseteira

September 19, 2025 at 9:09 pm

I do off label all the time, testing myself, it works. Not for rare diseases (I dont have) but I totally agree with you.

Reply
- @Bitingsherbertlemons
  
  September 19, 2025 at 9:35 pm
  
  Please see a physician.God bless❤️
  
  Reply
- @crashnova7601
  
  September 19, 2025 at 9:36 pm
  
  When they say off label, they don’t mean generic / off brand, if that’s what you’re thinking here.
  
  In medicine, “off-label” use refers to prescribing a medication for a purpose, patient group, dosage, or administration route/ method that has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for such use or method of delivery.
  
  Anyways, just figured I’d clear that up just in case. 2:52
  
  Reply
@Alexander300gr

September 19, 2025 at 9:12 pm

Philosophy of Curiosity taking action!

Reply
@richardmason902

September 19, 2025 at 9:12 pm

Very interesting indeed.
More power to you Doctor & here is a wonderful example of the use of AI and perhaps a glimpse into where Mankind may be heading.
Thank you for posting.

Reply
@Chamelionroses

September 19, 2025 at 9:27 pm

AI bots on youtube will help find the spark

Reply
@markmjames66mj

September 19, 2025 at 9:48 pm

Please 🙏🏿

Reply
@JulioDamiánDíazLópez

September 19, 2025 at 10:42 pm

Gracias

Reply
@sri9982

September 20, 2025 at 2:14 am

This is truly one of the most transformative videos I’ve ever watched. Heartfelt congratulations and deep gratitude to you, Dr. David, for your incredible work and wisdom. And a big thank you to TED for sharing such powerful stories that keep hope for humanity alive and remind us of what’s possible. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Reply
@AdamTelly

September 20, 2025 at 2:24 am

Anyone else thinking Leonard Nimioy and Richard Ayoade?

Reply
@ShakilShahadat

September 20, 2025 at 3:17 am

Nobel laureate candidate 🎉

Reply
@dfajgenbaum

September 20, 2025 at 7:00 am

Thank you so much for all the kind words of support for my journey chasing my cure and work to unlock more hidden cures through Every Cure! I hope you’ll help to spread the word about our mission and work!

Reply
- @rainerrafferty
  
  September 20, 2025 at 7:54 am
  
  We need more people like you and more people that believe in you.
  
  Reply
- @ljsystems5694
  
  September 20, 2025 at 8:09 am
  
  You are a hero! thank you so much for your impressive work!
  
  Reply
- @michaeltikus
  
  September 20, 2025 at 8:17 am
  
  Please please can you look into ME and Long COVID?
  
  Reply
- @HirakoKuyo
  
  September 20, 2025 at 3:31 pm
  
  Thank you for your incredible work! It’s so important to see the good things people do in this sometimes cruel world. Keep going ❤
  
  Reply
- @EbenezarWikina
  
  September 20, 2025 at 6:41 pm
  
  Your work is so inspiring and you are such a great speaker too 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 It was really impactful to have Joseph there in-person; a symbol of what is possible
  
  Reply
@md.manirulislam4255

September 20, 2025 at 11:27 am

Thank you Doctor. You have started a wonderful journey to cure the patients suffering from unknown and the erstwhile incurable diseases and to help people survive. You are the Saviour.

Reply
@UMASANKARCHINTADA-kf8eg

September 20, 2025 at 12:03 pm

Thank you for sharing such an uplifting message, and for reminding us that breakthroughs often come when we refuse to accept limits.

Reply
- @ramyhuber8392
  
  September 22, 2025 at 10:58 am
  
  Yes I agree thank you. He is an amazing person and is helping the world, bravo! Inspiring.
  
  Reply
@kblive1414

September 20, 2025 at 4:10 pm

Bless your heart and health. I hope more people get into this type of research work.

Reply
@brentshaw2693

September 20, 2025 at 4:49 pm

Best TED talk I’ve ever heard!!

Reply
@drmarcdarrow

September 20, 2025 at 4:54 pm

Very powerful reminder that cures could be hiding in plain sight

Reply
@deecee9741

September 20, 2025 at 5:49 pm

So, when all is said and done, the side effects of one drug could well be the cure of a certain disease! 😮

Reply
@EbenezarWikina

September 20, 2025 at 6:41 pm

MY GOD, I wish I had a billion dollars to fund this work. Such important work, so beautifully communicated too 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Reply
@Newstatejournal1

September 20, 2025 at 6:42 pm

Excellent! I wonder if nerve gas medication can be repurposed to treat people that hear voices and experience other hallucinations?

Reply
@innerrise.official

September 20, 2025 at 11:16 pm

It’s amazing how one person’s fight for life can spark such a global movement.

Reply
@DesignDesigns

September 21, 2025 at 5:14 am

Amazing…… Beautiful…..Inspiring…..

Reply
@sportsmedicine

September 21, 2025 at 6:11 am

Can’t wait for all of the discoveries Every Cure will make

Reply
@studentperformancepodcast

September 21, 2025 at 7:10 am

This is the future of medicine right here!!

Reply
@SuccessMindset2180

September 21, 2025 at 12:08 pm

Repurposing isn’t that rare in medicine

Reply
@orenrozanski4374

September 21, 2025 at 1:40 pm

Very interesting! 💯💯💯

Reply
@FT-ej6je

September 21, 2025 at 5:06 pm

Im a Dr. Thankful to Allah that i am.
My son who was healthy at 3 months, developed diarrhoea for which he was prescribed metronidazole. Though the diarrhea subsided but his health went downhill. after 7 months and 2 pediatric gastroenterologists later we did not have any diagnosis and his weight was 4.2 kilograms only. yet I thought that there was something wrong when the doctors gave up. I got him tested for giardia and it came back positive. he was given Metronidazole again but it didn’t make him better and was given nitaxonide and albendazole which gave some relief only for the symptoms to recur again.
He became refractory to all the drugs. The pediatric infectious disease dr told me there is nothing that can be done now.
I started him on chloroquine(an antimalarial not used for giardia nowadays)after thorough research. As i thought deeply the reason for refractoriness. I deduced that he might have internal reservoirs that the other drugs fail to clear. And chloroquine has the pharmacokinetics that can help with eradication of reservoirs. I started chloroquine and he has responded.
I’m praying for a cure this time.
Seeing your offspring in misery and not being able to help them is agonizing.
May my son gets a cure this time . and may he grow up to be a beacon of light for others like Dr David!

Reply
@meowing_girl

September 21, 2025 at 6:40 pm

The greatest TED talk ever ❤
Please consider ADHD and PCOs to focus on ❤❤❤🙏🥹

Reply
@TheMedicineHub91

September 22, 2025 at 2:28 am

God often reveals purpose through tragedy. When we pray, we begin to understand why the hardship came in the first place. Dr. David, you’ve risen from your deathbed not just to survive, but to live fully and give hope to those who have lost hope in modern medicine. Continue your noble mission and may god bless you. 🙌

Reply
@mariaantoniettamontella9173

September 22, 2025 at 4:48 am

incredible, applausi

Reply

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Kanze, D., Huang, L., Conley, M. A., & Higgins, E. T. (2018). “We Ask Men to Win and Women Not to Lose: Closing the Gender Gap in Startup Funding.” Academy of Management Journal
Figge, P., Graf-Vlachy, L., König, A., Demann, F., & Diessner, M. (2025). “Shades of Grey or Black and White? How Entrepreneurs’ Use of Cognitively Complex Language Affects Investor Funding.” Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Clarke, J. S., Cornelissen, J. P., & Healey, M. P. (2019). “Actions Speak Louder than Words: How Figurative Language and Gesturing in Entrepreneurial Pitches Influences Investment Judgments.” Academy of Management Journal
Jiang, L., Yin, D., & Liu, D. (2019). “Can Joy Buy You Money? The Impact of the Strength, Duration, and Phases of an Entrepreneur’s Peak Displayed Joy on Funding Performance.” Academy of Management Journal.
Chen, X.-P., Yao, X., & Kotha, S. (2009). “Entrepreneur Passion and Preparedness in Business Plan Presentations: A Persuasion Analysis of Venture Capitalists’ Funding Decisions.” Academy of Management Journal
Zhu, L. Y., Young, M. J., & Bauman, C. W. (2024). “Linking Anxiety to Passion: Emotion Regulation and Entrepreneurs’ Pitch Performance.” Journal of Business Venturing
Allison, T. H., Davis, B. C., Webb, J. W., & Short, J. C. (2017). “Persuasion in Crowdfunding: An Elaboration Likelihood Model of Crowdfunding Performance.” Journal of Business Venturing
Clark, C. (2008). “The Impact of Entrepreneurs’ Oral ‘Pitch’ Presentation Skills on Business Angels’ Initial Screening Investment Decisions.” Venture Capital

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