My "Hope" for Future Kids

Recently my story has become even more personal as I became a “surprise uncle.” My sister and brother-in-law welcomed their new daughter into the world in an emergency procedure three months before her due date and she spent almost 8 months in various hospitals, including Boston Children's and she finally came home at the end of June 2023.

Olivia Hope is my new reason for raising money for kids who need help getting started in life. It is because of that care team, and the doctors, nurses, & staff like them all over the world I’m an uncle today. She’s not out of the woods yet, but she has the best care in the world. 

Also, she REALLY loves balloons. So in that spirit, in 2023, we launched our first High Altitude Dice Roll using a weather balloon to raise money for Boston Children's Hospital and sent our "Messages of Hope" (named after Olivia Hope) into near-space for her and so many hundreds of kids like her!

The Sky's the Limit on our 2024 High Altitude Dice Roll (HADR-24)!

Preparing for HADR-24 – Our Second annual launch to give advantage to kids at Boston Children’s Hospital

HADR-24

WildWestDan is going to attempt his second annual High Altitude Dice Roll to raise money for Boston Children’s Hospital by attaching an Extra Life branded twenty-sided (d20) gaming die below a weather balloon, and then dropping it from a height of 15-20 miles (24-32 km) above the Earth’s surface with a 360 camera attached to get amazing views of the whole thing!

And YOU can be a part of the fun!

Twice a day, every day of the year, weather balloons are released simultaneously from almost 900 locations worldwide! This includes 92 released by the National Weather Service in the US and its territories. These balloon flights last for around 2 hours, can drift as far as 125 miles (200 km) away, and rise up to over 100,000 ft — almost 20 miles (32 km) in the atmosphere — before the pressure inside the balloon becomes greater than the thinner high altitude atmospheric pressure and bursts!

Hobbyists like the New England Weather Balloon Society (NEWBS) — who are helping us with our launch — and Overlook Horizon release their own balloons for scientific and recreational purposes complete with cameras and atmospheric testing equipment. The challenge for these amateur balloonists, unlike the National Weather Service, is recovering the payload, or “radiosonde” from wherever it drops and getting the data from it for reuse!

This year, you can be a part of this attempt by adding your Message of Hope for the patients, families, doctors, nurses and staff at Boston Children’s – and any other Children’s Miracle Network hospital, general hospital, doctor’s office, or clinic – to a USB drive that we will be sending along with the d20! Be a part of history, and support a great cause at the same time!

Choose an Incentive for your donation!

Assist the Party - For a $5 donation before July 15, 2024, you can send a Text Message of Hope dedication as a text file on the USB drive.

Minor Image - For a $15 donation before July 15, 2024, you can send a Text and Photo Message of Hope dedication!

Major Illusion - For a $50 donation before July 10, 2024, you can send a Text, Photo and 60 second Video  Message of Hope dedication!

Seat at the Table - For a $250 donation before July 15, 2024, you can join us in person on the day of the launch along with all of the above Messages of Hope! (travel, food, and/or lodging not included - Limit 10).

Messages of Hope Ideas

You could donate in your own name, or you could dedicate it to a child treated at a Children’s Miracle Network hospital! You could use your message to thank a doctor, nurse, or staff member! You could send a video message encouraging a child being treated to get well soon! Whatever you can think of, and after the event we will give both the USB drive, and all the names, messages, and media to the Boston Children's Hospital to try to display on their screens sometime later this year!

And if you want to donate even more, why not make a pledge to donate based on what number it lands on?! Maybe you will donate another $50 if it’s a Natural 20? Or a Natural One? Or your favorite number?

Lastly, for every donor who redeems the incentive, we will email you your own “Virtual Balloon Flight Ticket” with your name on it that you can print and keep as a keepsake and a thank you for helping #ChangeKidsHealth to #ChangeTheFuture.

My Boston Children's Story

One of the biggest reasons I stream for Extra Life is because I have quite a long history with Boston Children's Hospital.

Baby Dan - 1981I was born on a Monday in November (just about 40 years ago).  I was brought to Boston Children's Hospital on the following Thursday.  My Mom was still recovering from her C-Section surgery (Sorry Mom!) so they insisted she stay in a wheelchair while she was in the hospital with me. 

I was quickly diagnosed with Congenital Lobar Emphysema.  To this day, no one knows why.  My Mom quit smoking years before my older brother was born, but it happened.

For some reason, the surgery couldn't happen that week, so the doctors and staff told my parents they could go home and be comfortable instead of being stuck in a hospital all weekend with nothing happening.

Home BaptismI was essentially quarantined (before it was cool).  Friends and family came over to see me...through the glass door of the house.  But no one was allowed in.  Except the family priest, Fr. Ridgeway, who baptized me on my parents kitchen table in case I didn't make it through the surgery. (I did, btw...spoiler!)

We returned to the BCH on Monday, Dr. David Tapper performed a (partial?) lobectomy. It basically means they removed one lobe of my left lung. There are 5 lobes, as I understand it.  3 on one side, 2 on the other.  This was the "3" side.  Fun Fact, every time I see a new doctor and they're looking at XRays, they're amazed that my lungs expanded to fill the empty void.  It's also the leading theory on my asthma troubles.

Anyway, long story short (too late), surgery was successful and my parents and I were released 9 days later with a clean bill of health!

My parents always tell me how the staff and nurses and doctors there were so kind, caring, and supportive during a VERY scary time for the both of them.  My parents can still to this day name the doctor without looking him up.  My Mom loves telling me how she was their second patient because they kept checking on her, and her recovery the entire time they were keeping an eye on me.

The amazing thing??  This is just another day for these doctors and nurses and staff.  It's what they do every day.  And they're saving lives for not just the children, but they're also making sure families stay families. They quite literally saved my life, and I'll never forget it (Even though I didn't really know about it at the time...)

That's why I stream for Extra Life.  If you can donate anything, you'll be helping save a child's life, allowing them to have more smiles, more laughs, more birthdays, and maybe even become streamers of their own someday! Extra Life uses the hashtag #"ForTheKids and there's no question about that, but also, #ForTheFamilies because they do more than just "fix kids." Anything you can give makes a difference, And I'm living proof.

how it works

• Now, more than ever, local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals need our help.

• I'm uniting with thousands of gamers to play games and change kids' health to change the future.

• Learn how local children's hospitals are being impacted by COVID-19 at kidscantwait.org.

• Donations through this page stay at my local children's hospital.

Your donation is tax-deductible and will make miracles happen for families who desperately need them. Simply click the "Donate" button at the top of this page to help. 

Tabletop Weekend (Event Over)

Daggerheart One-Shot: The (fictional) Bostonia Extra Life Festival

We played a one-shot live and all donations affected the outcome of the game! Donors chose to assist the party in accomplishing their goals, or hinder them and make their (fictional) lives harder... We didn't mind either one because it costs more to hinder which means more money for Boston Children's Hospital!

Because of internet delays on Twitch and typing in credit card numbers, all Donation Actions were queued up to be used when players or GM found it most convenient (or inconvenient depending on which side of the virtual table you're sitting!)

All incentive donations between this announcement and the gameday were added to the queue when the game began (may not be used in order of donation).

We raised over $1100 during the 6 hours we played this game, and it was seriously one of the most fun fundraisers I've ever been a part of! You can watch the VOD here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVli-Y9_J-s