How YouTuber Technoblade’s death boosted fundraising for sarcoma

The death of Minecraft YouTuber Technoblade two years ago shocked fans around the world.

Alex, to use his real name, was just 23 years old.

Just a year earlier, he had been diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affects bones and soft tissue.

But his millions of followers and other well-known YouTubers have continued his legacy and are now raising money for further research into the disease.

The charity Sarcoma UK told BBC Newsbeat that gamers’ support for the cause had helped “revolutionise” their work.

About 400 of them are young people, like Tom from south-west London, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma two years ago.

The 21-year-old is a gamer himself and says that before Technoblade revealed his illness, he had never heard of a famous person with sarcoma.

“It’s good to know he got people talking about it,” Tom says.

When Technoblade announced his cancer diagnosis in August 2021, he said he thought the pain in his arm was due to the repetitive strain of gaming.

However, when his arm began to swell, he went to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed cancer.

It reflects Tom’s own experience when he initially attributed pain in his leg to a physical injury.

“I didn’t have a huge lump or any other symptoms, I just had trouble walking,” he says.

Tom received a relatively new treatment that was developed thanks to new breakthroughs in cancer research.

However, he says his sarcoma was difficult to distinguish from a sports injury and that the true cause only came to light when he was able to see a specialist.

“It’s a difficult disease,” he says.

Many major streamers have followed in Technoblade’s footsteps, including TommyInnit – another major Minecraft YouTuber with nearly 15 million followers.

“Technoblade was an absolute legend in the Minecraft community and someone I really looked up to,” he says.

“When he told us all about his sarcoma diagnosis, it was pretty devastating.

“Losing him was truly horrible, but it also gave me a fierce determination to raise awareness and support the fight against sarcomas.”

Tommy plans to raise money for Sarcoma UK as part of the upcoming Jingle Jam fundraiser – a major charity event where streamers and their followers donate via live, gala-style fundraising broadcasts.

Richard Davidson, head of Sarcoma UK, says the attention of the gaming community has boosted their performance enormously.

“The Technoblade story highlighted the impact that content creators and streaming can have on raising awareness,” he says.

Richard estimates that the YouTuber-inspired fundraiser has raised around £1 million – a huge sum for a relatively small charity like Sarcoma UK.

“Bringing the gaming community on board has really revolutionized the work we do and the research we can invest in,” he says.

He says it was also important to spread the message in a community he describes as “passionate, committed and young.”

Early detection is crucial for the treatment of sarcomas.

“Early diagnosis is crucial. This gives a much greater chance of a successful outcome,” says Richard.

“People should watch for bumps, lumps, bone pain and changes in bone pain.

“And if anything like that changes, just go to your GP, get it checked out and calm down.”

However, it is not only gamers who are spreading the word.

Before her diagnosis, 20-year-old Eleni from Portsmouth wanted to join the navy. Now she is committed to supporting young cancer patients.

Like Tom, she says her primary tumor in her shoulder was mistaken for a sports injury several times before she found out she had cancer.

“When I was diagnosed, it was such a shock. Since then, I have been working to raise awareness,” she tells Newsbeat.

She is glad that gamers have helped raise awareness of the disease and that this has another benefit beyond raising funds.

Although it’s “terrible to have things in common,” Eleni says, talking to young people like her has helped her form lifelong friendships.

“It’s something very special and really important,” she says.

After six rounds of chemotherapy, Tom is now in remission and is working to raise awareness of the disease and funds for further research.

Like Eleni, he says knowing there are others out there in the same situation has helped with his mental health.

“It’s really reassuring to talk to other people who have been through treatment,” he says.

“When I come out of the meetings and talk to other people, I just feel so much better.

“And I would advise people who are feeling unwell to reach out to other patients, because that helped me a lot. It really did.”