YouTube star DanTDM has shared his love of gaming with children undergoing treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) by funding specialist equipment through a £310,000 donation.
The money from DanTDM, also known as Dan Middleton, will fund 120 TheRockinR medical-grade gaming carts through the Gosh Charity.
He has more than 32 million followers across his YouTube channels, including 29 million for his DanTDM account.
“Gaming has brought me a huge global community of wonderful people who look out for one another and have fun together,” said Middleton, whose original gaming channel name was The Diamond Minecart.
“Being young and in hospital shouldn’t stop you having access to that community, if anything it becomes more important and I’m extremely proud to be able to help Gosh in any way I can.”
TheRockinR is a charity which provides gaming carts to sick children and young people in hospitals throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
The British YouTuber visited Leopard Ward to meet some of the children who already have access to the new carts and can enjoy gaming as a distraction from their treatment and a way to share some fun experiences with friends and family.
Leopard Ward is a section of the hospital for children and young people with respiratory problems.
“There’s quite a lot of kids in there that watch my videos so I have always done video messages to them but more recently been able to actually go to the hospital and meet the kids face to face which is really nice,” he told the PA news agency after Monday’s visit – his second to meet children at Gosh.
“It’s just a really nice experience.
“I played some games with them, we just hung out, like friends would.”
Middleton, 33, who has also supported charities including Make-A-Wish and BBC Children in Need, added: “I just want to try and soften the experience of what they are going through really.”
Fellow gamer Josh, 12, was among the children who met Middleton and drew 1-1 in a virtual game of football with the YouTube celebrity.
“We didn’t get to finish the game but I’m glad we stopped the game there as I think I would have been in trouble,” Middleton said.
Josh, a keen footballer and Watford FC season ticket holder, said: “I can’t believe I just played Fifa with someone who has 29 million followers on YouTube!
“It’s definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.”
Josh has been under Gosh’s care since soon after his birth.
He receives treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF) – a genetic condition which can result in recurrent chest infections and the build-up of thick mucus, particularly in the lungs and digestive system.
Risk of infection means he cannot socialise with other children during hospital visits so gaming keeps him entertained when his schoolwork is done.
By funding the gaming carts, which alleviate any infection control concerns around gaming equipment, Middleton hopes to help children distract themselves during hospital stays.
Middleton told the PA news agency that gaming is “my time to disappear into another world sometimes, a distraction from anything that’s on your mind or what you are going through”.
He added: “Some of them can’t even leave the room because they are not able to or can’t leave the hospital.
“With these games and these game carts we are able to allow them to have this time where they feel normal and they can have their siblings over.”
He said the carts are “really cool”, adding: “Every kid that we went to see yesterday had one in their room and was obsessed over it.
“They love them so it was really nice to see something that we had planned probably six months ago, maybe even longer, we can now see them in the flesh and being used in a really natural way as well.
“They didn’t expect me to be there, they were just using them as they normally would so it was great to see.”
Josh’s mum, Becky, said the antibiotic treatment means Josh cannot play sport for two weeks and will miss PE – his favourite lesson at school – so gaming is a welcome distraction.
“Gaming has really helped Josh throughout his hospital experience and has been invaluable in making the time go quicker,” she said.
“While at Gosh, he’s socially isolated from his school friends so being able to stay connected is so important.”
She said it can feel “no different from home” if Josh is able to play while on a call with his friends.
Gaming also gives Josh some “common ground” with his seven-year-old brother, Theo, she said.
Becky, a 43-year-old ITV production executive from Watford in Hertfordshire, said it was “really exciting” to meet Middleton, adding: “It’s really kind of him to take the time to come and meet us in person.
“Josh tried to act cool which was quite funny.
“Afterwards he was a little bit starstruck.”
She added: “We feel very privileged to have access to this new equipment; it will make a real difference to children, like Josh, who are isolated whilst undergoing treatment in hospital.
“It’s things like this that make Gosh the magical place it is.”
Becky said Josh is quite stable at the moment but goes into hospital for a few days twice a year for intravenous antibiotics.
She said: “He’s not a particularly sickly child.
“Sport is really important to children with CF and he is incredibly sporty.”
Aoife Regan, director of charitable programmes and impact at Gosh Charity, which funds vital services, research and the hospital’s Play team, said: “Gaming can help children and young people to express themselves, to get away from the difficult challenges of a long-term illness and to continue to experience childhood, even when they’re in hospital.
“We’re so grateful to DanTDM for taking the time to visit the hospital to meet some of the patients and spend time gaming with them and I’d like to say a huge thank you for his incredibly generous donation from which we’ve been able to buy a special gaming cart for every ward at the hospital.”
