In May of 2006, the then 11-year-old boy, Taylor Carol, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, and the doctors predicted that he had two weeks to live. But Taylor proved them wrong. What’s more, he found a special way to cope with the endless months in isolation, and loss of normal childhood activity. Video games rescued Taylor’s childhood, allowing him to communicate with other kids, and distracting him from the otherwise nearly unbearable period of his cancer treatment.
After a grueling five-year battle with cancer, Taylor fully recovered and went on to found the nonprofit organization, GameChanger, with his father in 2008. GameChanger helps children and families suffering from cancer and other rare diseases by providing the kids with game experiences and other types of entertainment.
Charity Watch considers an organization to be highly efficient when 75% of their donations go to the beneficiary. By comparison, 96% of GameChanger’s donations and money make it to the patients and their families.
In the nine years since they were founded, GameChanger has:
Met and helped 10,000 kids dealing with life-threatening illnesses
Raised over $200,000 towards finding a cancer cure
Donated over 20,000 video games to hospitals, children centers, partner charities and families
Awarded 57 character-based college scholarships to cancer survivors and other inspiring young role models who battled through adversity
