Vexoria the Sun Eater made waves with her first charity stream in 2022, raising more than $16,000 for Survivors.org, a domestic violence survivor support charity, and getting recognized at thegameHERs awards for her efforts.
But she has blown all that out of the water with yet another charity stream taking over Twitch's VTubing community on February 4, this time for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
Vexoria managed to raise $42,069 in the seven hour broadcast, breaking the record for the biggest livestreamed fundraising event for the BCRF.
It was a long time in the works, with initial planning starting in December. But the broadcast was given extra special meaning by the time it rolled around with Vexoria receiving a breast cancer prognosis late in January.
"We had wanted to support them initially," Vexoria's husband and manager Zolon told NewsDrop, "but when Vex had her initial cancer scare, it really firmed up our choice to work with them."
The stream averaged more than 1,400 viewers, with viewership peaking just shy of 2,000.
There was a generous goal of $17,500 set with all of the stretch benefits, which was blown out of the water within the first hour. The stream from there included free flowing tears and emotion, as well as plenty of shenanigans on Fall Guys.
VTubers big and small, including Trickywi, Radia, and Cottontail, joined on the day on stream, and many more pledged their support for Vexoria and the BCRF on social media.
Twitter was transformed with #SupportTheSnek trending and pink ribbons everywhere, an initiative started by moderator DandyDemon.
"[He] asked me before the event if he could reach out to people and suggest they use the breast cancer ribbon for their reactive image for the day," Zolon recounted. "I had said yes, and didn't think much of it.
"But then the day came, and he and several others started changing their profile pics to have that ribbon and have a pink overlay. Then they started tweeting #SupportTheSnek.
"After a short while, other viewers, VTubers, and community members saw this and started joining in. Before long there was a wave of VTubers, artists, and supporters changing their profile pictures, tweeting the hashtag, and tweeting out the link to Vex's channel.
"It was incredibly humbling and incredibly emotional just to watch that wave of support wash over Twitter for a day."
And while it’s not a contest, the fact it was the biggest fundraising drive on Twitch for the BCRF was not lost on Vexoria: "I know it’s not a competition because everyone wins here, especially those with breast cancer, but it was truly inspiring and awe inducing to see my community and the indie VTuber community come together and break the existing records for this charity.
"I don’t think I really have words for just how generous and wonderful my community has been supporting these fantastic causes. Their support and love never ceases to amaze me as they come out every time and blow all my expectations out of the water."
Whether it be hyping herself up with "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten at the start of the stream, or messing around in Fall Guys with dozens of her supporters, the stream was full of memorable moments for Vex.
Today was utterly incredible! We raised $42,069.00 for @BCRFcure in 8 hours! 🥹That is 841 hours of research, 2,103 liquid biopsy kits for testing, 84 patient DNA sequencing, or 16 patients enrolled into clinical trials. We made history. We broke records! We helped so many 1/?
— Vexoria The Sun Eater (Sexy snek vtuber) (@VexTheSunEater) February 5, 2023
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As for her future, there’s a two-tone sentiment. Vex pledged late in 2022 to do plenty more charity work, and there’s further streams and donation drives on the way as she quickly approaches six figures of funds raised.
"I think this charity stream left a lasting impact on me and the VTuber community," she continued. "I would love to do more charity streams this year as well, and see how many more people we can help with this amazing community.
"I would love to work with a charity in the future that focuses on neurodivergence, as I have a child on the spectrum and a lot of my community members are neurodivergent."
But in her personal life, with a breast cancer prognosis, the star is aware of the challenges that face her and her family. Streaming and content creation might be hard to come by in the following weeks and months. However, the outpouring of support from her community—and the sense of unity throughout the VTuber space—has Vex confident for her own future.
"I always want to be honest about things and how it may affect my streams or content with them. I also don’t think breast cancer is anything to be ashamed of or hide. Breast cancer is just a chapter in my story, not the whole book.
"I wanted to go into the charity stream with positivity because breast cancer isn’t a death sentence. I wanted people to know that, even if I have cancer, you can still live your life and have fun with people you care about and help others. Life continues to go on.
"I think in the future it will be a nice reminder on tough days that I have people in my corner cheering me on. Cancer may slow me down at times from making content, but it won’t stop me fully, not when I have this wonderful community at my side."
