Cincinnati, OH | February 10, 2022 – The Dad has partnered with The Cure Starts Now as the premier sponsor of “Hearts for Heroes,” a fundraising event for streamers to raise money for pediatric brain cancer research.
During Hearts for Heroes, each streamer will be matched with a young Hero who is fighting brain cancer. The funds raised will benefit cancer research in honor of the Hero. The Cure Starts Now will compile all donor messages onto hand-written valentines that will be mailed to the Hero in the hopes of bringing a big smile to their little faces! Hearts for Heroes is part of a larger campaign, Nerf Cancer, which has the same underlying purpose – to cure cancer through streaming video games.
The Dad has been matched with Hero LJ who is currently fighting DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma). LJ is an energetic 6-year-old boy who loves super heroes and playing video games, like Minecraft. According to dipg.org, the 5-year survival rate for DIPG patients is 2%. Thanks in part to a radical and promising phase 2 clinical trial funded by The Cure Starts Now, LJ will be 4 years post-diagnosis by mid-February. Believing in more than just awareness, The Cure Starts Now has funded over $18 million in cancer research, resulting in over 115 cutting edge research grants in 15 countries since 2007.
"LJ is an absolute warrior. His strength and character inspire me every day. And above all else: I've never seen anyone build cooler Minecraft fortresses. Impenetrable! LJ is my hero." – Joel Willis, Editor in Chief, The Dad
The Dad has hit the ground running by kicking off an initial fundraising stream featuring the New England Patriots’ Cody Davis and J.J. Taylor, and content creator SSG Neato. Their Rocket League community stream raised over triple their original fundraising goal and The Dad will continue fundraising through next week.
The Dad is one of the largest and most engaging parenting brands in the world. They create funny, sentimental, helpful, and inspiring content that reaches millions of people every day. Their mission is to create an inclusive community that celebrates modern involved fatherhood and literally changes the perception of dads in a positive way.
In 2019, The Dad created a place for members of their community to get together to talk about gaming, parenting, and parenting while gaming. Through very careful moderation, they’ve grown it into one of the most positive, non-toxic gaming communities on the internet. What started as a handful of dads playing custom Fortnite matches has grown into a multi-channel e-Sports empire, complete with leagues, events, and sponsored tournaments.
"We started The Dad Gaming as a way for parents and families to bond and connect over video games. We love celebrating the positive aspects of gaming. So, if we can use gaming to support the heroes out there fighting pediatric cancer, we're going to squad up every time! The Dad Gaming team will do anything we can to level up in the battle against pediatric cancer." – Joel Willis, Editor in Chief, The Dad
To send along your own Valentine’s message to LJ, make a donation to The Dad’s fundraiser at https://nerfcancer.org/TheDad.
To learn more:
The Dad Gaming visit www.thedad.com/category/gaming/
Nerf Cancer visit www.nerfcancer.org
The Cure Starts Now visit www.thecurestartsnow.org
The Cure Starts Now was started in honor of 6-year-old Elena Desserich, a Cincinnati girl who battled a rare, aggressive form of brain cancer known as DIPG. Today, The Cure Starts Now Foundation has over 40 locations in three countries and is the only cancer foundation dedicated to finding the Homerun Cure™ for cancer by focusing on one of the rarest, most aggressive forms of cancer. Believing in more than just awareness, The Cure Starts Now has funded over $18 million in cancer research in partnership with the DIPG Collaborative. This includes 115+ cutting-edge research grants at over 100 hospitals in 15 countries since 2007. Learn more about The Cure Starts Now and their mission to find the Homerun Cure™ for cancer at www.thecurestartsnow.org, and follow www.facebook.com/TheCureStartsNow/ for updates.
