BBCH Extra Life Hero: Meet Tyler!

It’s no secret that I love our Extra Life program at BBCH, but it’s mostly because of the people. Our Extra Lifers are awesome! I’d like to introduce another one of our amazing gaming community members making a big difference #ForTheKids at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital (BBCH)!

Meet Tyler! You can find him on Instagram and on Twitch, though he humbly says “I really only stream during Extra Life and am not super familiar with the platform.” 🙂 His Xbox online ID is also grstlemcthrnbdy.

Extra Life History: This is my 5th year participating in Extra Life. I’ve raised just over $1,800 since my first year, most of that coming in last year after telling folks I would dye my hair blue if I hit $1,000. I honestly didn’t expect to reach that goal, but seemed excited to see me dye my hair and I was happy to do it to raise money for BBCH!

Favorite Games: My favorite childhood games on my Playstation included Sled Storm, Crash Bandicoot, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. As I got older, I generally played racing games like the various Need For Speed titles, or sports games like MLB: The Show, Madden or NHL. Outside of those genres, I really enjoyed Uncharted 1-3 and The Last Of Us on the PS3.

My regular rotation today is mostly games that I’ll play online with friends: Rocket League, FIFA, NHL, and of course Among Us. Lately, I have also been really into Hades and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

I also like to play tabletop/board games, my favorites including Bunny Kingdom, Dominion, and Chrononauts.

Why I Extra Life: My biggest motivator to stay awake for 24 hours gaming is the fact that I did spend a few nights at BBCH when I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 13 years old. The staff at BBCH was incredible and worked really hard to make sure that my family and I were comfortable during our time there, but honestly what I remember the most from my time at the hospital was the Teen Room. If I remember correctly, there was a giant TV, board games, air hockey… Just stuff to help all of us give our minds a break and just have fun in the midst of a big life change. Moments like that, which my family and I can look back on a tough experience and still smile about those memories, are why I am always happy to raise money for BBCH.

I want to support BBCH to help with the costs of staffing, medical equipment/supplies, and everything else that comes with running a hospital. All of that is important! But I obviously think the most about the kids that have to spend time at the hospital. Outside of doctor and nurse visits, medical treatment, and rest, what are they doing with their time? I would have been bored out of my skull and just super sad to be in a hospital bed all day thinking about what my life was going to look like after we left if it wasn’t for the chance to go into another room and play a game.

I’m going to be exhausted after 24 consecutive hours of gaming, but that doesn’t compare to the exhaustion of a lot of folks that have to end up at BBCH with their kid. If I can help contribute toward a new TV, Scrabble board, or coloring book to give that kid and their family a moment of normalcy while the rest of their world is spinning, it’s absolutely worth it.

Check out Tyler’s Extra Life page and cheer him on with a donation HERE!