Child Fortnite streamer zylTV has raised almost $15,000 Canadian (about $11,422 U.S.) to fund cancer treatment for his father, surpassing his initial goal of $5,000 Canadian by almost $10,000 (he did change the goal to $9,000 later on). zylTV began streaming just last week and already has 19,580 followers at the time of writing.
zylTV‘s father appeared on stream at one point, explaining that he was diagnosed with stage three rectal cancer, making it difficult for him to walk. This then progressed to stage four cancer after his stage three diagnosis in September 2018.
“It’s very hard,” he said, “because it’s at a spot which, like, gives you so many troubles. You cannot walk. Some days, I feel that I have to lay down for two days in bed. I cannot move… But I have to fight.”
He appeared once again when the donations were at $7,200 Canadian, reacting to the surpassed donation goal. The clip of zylTV’s father’s reaction has been viewed over 460,000 times.
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According to Fortnite Intel, Fortnite personalities Xxif and Ronaldo agreed to pay for a trip to the Fortnite World Cup in New York for zylTV and his father (which he also reacted to in the clip), and other Fortnite personalities like FaZe Megga and Misfits Clix also contributed to zylTV’s cause via donations.
zylTV thanked all those who donated on Twitter, saying, “You guys changed my and my dad’s life forever and me and my dad will remember this my whole life.” According to the stream, he also changed the goal to $9,000 because sunlight can allegedly help with his father’s condition, so they will be taking a surprise vacation to get more sunlight.
https://twitter.com/zylTV_/status/1148199515645722625
Video game marathon streaming on Twitch has proven itself to be an effective vehicle for charitable fundraising on many occasions. Big events like GuardianCon, Extra Life, and Games Done Quick have turned gamers’ hobbies into millions of dollars for organizations like Doctors Without Borders and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Twitch recently announced subscriber-only streams for Twitch Partners and Affiliates, allowing them to give those who pay for their content exclusive access to certain streams. This feature is inherently geared towards the benefit of streamers with larger followings, but the platform also added a “Viewers (Low to High)” filter, which could help smaller channels (like zylTV’s at the time of its creation) gain viewership.
