Lexa [1556957] —
A few weeks ago a gentleman called MeanMike got in touch to tell me about a recent tragedy which struck his family, and the kindness shown to him by Torn City strangers in the aftermath. But before we hear Mike's real-life story, let's get a sense of who he is in Torn City.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
"I'm a stand up comic from Daytona Beach, Fla USA; I've been playing for over 3 and half years. I lead the faction Chain Reaction and enjoy this game immensely."
How did you first come across Torn? Did you have any real life friends that played?
"I came from Pimpwar, where a friend there suggested this game to me and brought me in."
Have you ever met up with anyone from Torn?
"Yes, Kinzove came to stay with me for a week a couple years ago, and Queenie lives nearby and has come to my comedy show and hung out."
What did you think of Torn when you started to play it? Did your wife play Torn?
"I thought it beat the hell out of Pimpwar, and no she did not."
There is a lot of care and respect for Mike here in Torn, and this was never more apparent than when his friends rallied to his aid in his darkest hour. Earlier this year, Mike and his daughter were out for the day when a fire broke out at their property. Mike's wife was the only person home at the time, and sadly, she was unable to escape the blaze.
Mike lost his beloved wife, his daughter lost a mother, and their family home sustained a huge amount of damage. Understandably, Mike describes it as the worst day of his and his daughter's lives. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, Mike came online to inform his friends of what had happened, indicating he may not be as active while he and his daughter began the painful task of rebuilding both their lives and their home.
Two weeks later a package arrived on Mike's doorstep. When he opened it he burst into tears.
"I was overcome with gratitude and cried like a baby. It wasn't the actual gift, it was more these people that I have never met me in real life thought enough of me to make such a gesture. I'll never forget their generosity and thoughtfulness in this, the worst of times for my daughter and me."
Unbeknownst to Mike, his friends in Torn had spent the past two weeks organising a Go Fund Me page for him and his daughter. Mike's in-game spouse AjtheWabbit had co-ordinated the project, and I'll let her explain the purpose of this fundraising effort in her own words:
"I heard what happened about 24 hours after the incident and was absolutely heartbroken to hear that this happened to him and his family. Originally, I was trying to think of something I could do to make things a bit easier for him, flowers, gift cards, etc. just didn't seem like a good idea as everyone does this for those that have lost someone close to them."
"So I got with BambinaDuckie and Mujera to try and come up with something, Mujera thought about contacting a local restaurant to get food taken to him and his family, as she stated, people don't think about themselves when a tragedy like this strikes. I then remembered seeing an advert on FB about having meals shipped directly to your house. I knew Mike liked to cook and I found HomeChef. So this is how the idea of having meals shipped to him came about."
The package Mike received was the first of several weekly Home Chef boxes that would be sent to him throughout July. Each contained the ingredients required for seven home-cooked meals - meals his friends had also ensured would be suitable for his vegan daughter. With help from the members of Chain Reaction, CR 2.0, Duckie and friends from Duckpond in Discord, AjtheWabbit managed to raise enough money from anonymous donations to keep Mike and his daughter fed for a month. AJ explains exactly how this happened below:
Did you have a target of how much you would need to raise?
"For HomeChef to deliver for a month, we had to raise close to $500 dollars."
Do you know how many people were involved in the donations?
"There were roughly 15-20 people involved in the donation process."
How long did it take you to raise the funds? Did you ever think strangers would be so generous?
"It only took about 2.5 weeks to get enough funds to keep this going! I was very surprised at our Chain Reaction Family for donating the amounts they did and so very grateful for everyone's help with it. Mike needed it and we provided it to remind him he is more than just our leader, but a good friend and someone who is cared for deeply by not only Chain Reaction, but Chain Reaction 2.0."
Those who helped Mike in his time of need deserve our utmost respect. Not only did they raise money on behalf of their friend, but they also put considered thought into how they could best use these funds to help bring some normality back to Mike and his daughter's lives. When he needed love and support, Mike's friends stepped up to the plate - although, he does have one small additional request.
"Everyone wanted to stay anonymous, but I know a couple of people that were definitely involved: AJ, Duckie, Mujera, Sherbear. I wish I knew the rest so I could thank them personally (tell me, damn you all!! <3)"
Having already extended my condolences, I'm sure the whole Torn community would join me in wishing Mike and his daughter well for the future, while also commending all of those involved in his Go Fund Me campaign. This story is undoubtedly heartbreaking, but the actions of AJ and the others clearly show that light truly does shine brightest in the darkness.
If you are on a journey that you would like to share, either for your own reasons or the benefit of others, contact me and tell me your tale. I love to hear how Torn interacts with the real lives of real people, so please drop by my profile and send me a message. Make sure to include "Newspaper: Real Life Story' in the message heading.
Original article
You read tragic stories in the newspapers and never think one day they could happen to you. In this edition of Torn IRL, we hear how strangers helped Meanmike through the worst tragedy of his life.
A few weeks ago a gentleman called MeanMike got in touch to tell me about a recent tragedy which struck his family, and the kindness shown to him by Torn City strangers in the aftermath. But before we hear Mike's real-life story, let's get a sense of who he is in Torn City.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
"I'm a stand up comic from Daytona Beach, Fla USA; I've been playing for over 3 and half years. I lead the faction Chain Reaction and enjoy this game immensely."
How did you first come across Torn? Did you have any real life friends that played?
"I came from Pimpwar, where a friend there suggested this game to me and brought me in."
Have you ever met up with anyone from Torn?
"Yes, Kinzove came to stay with me for a week a couple years ago, and Queenie lives nearby and has come to my comedy show and hung out."
What did you think of Torn when you started to play it? Did your wife play Torn?
"I thought it beat the hell out of Pimpwar, and no she did not."
There is a lot of care and respect for Mike here in Torn, and this was never more apparent than when his friends rallied to his aid in his darkest hour. Earlier this year, Mike and his daughter were out for the day when a fire broke out at their property. Mike's wife was the only person home at the time, and sadly, she was unable to escape the blaze.
Mike lost his beloved wife, his daughter lost a mother, and their family home sustained a huge amount of damage. Understandably, Mike describes it as the worst day of his and his daughter's lives. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, Mike came online to inform his friends of what had happened, indicating he may not be as active while he and his daughter began the painful task of rebuilding both their lives and their home.
Two weeks later a package arrived on Mike's doorstep. When he opened it he burst into tears.
"I was overcome with gratitude and cried like a baby. It wasn't the actual gift, it was more these people that I have never met me in real life thought enough of me to make such a gesture. I'll never forget their generosity and thoughtfulness in this, the worst of times for my daughter and me."
Unbeknownst to Mike, his friends in Torn had spent the past two weeks organising a Go Fund Me page for him and his daughter. Mike's in-game spouse AjtheWabbit had co-ordinated the project, and I'll let her explain the purpose of this fundraising effort in her own words:
"I heard what happened about 24 hours after the incident and was absolutely heartbroken to hear that this happened to him and his family. Originally, I was trying to think of something I could do to make things a bit easier for him, flowers, gift cards, etc. just didn't seem like a good idea as everyone does this for those that have lost someone close to them."
"So I got with BambinaDuckie and Mujera to try and come up with something, Mujera thought about contacting a local restaurant to get food taken to him and his family, as she stated, people don't think about themselves when a tragedy like this strikes. I then remembered seeing an advert on FB about having meals shipped directly to your house. I knew Mike liked to cook and I found HomeChef. So this is how the idea of having meals shipped to him came about."
The package Mike received was the first of several weekly Home Chef boxes that would be sent to him throughout July. Each contained the ingredients required for seven home-cooked meals - meals his friends had also ensured would be suitable for his vegan daughter. With help from the members of Chain Reaction, CR 2.0, Duckie and friends from Duckpond in Discord, AjtheWabbit managed to raise enough money from anonymous donations to keep Mike and his daughter fed for a month. AJ explains exactly how this happened below:
Did you have a target of how much you would need to raise?
"For HomeChef to deliver for a month, we had to raise close to $500 dollars."
Do you know how many people were involved in the donations?
"There were roughly 15-20 people involved in the donation process."
How long did it take you to raise the funds? Did you ever think strangers would be so generous?
"It only took about 2.5 weeks to get enough funds to keep this going! I was very surprised at our Chain Reaction Family for donating the amounts they did and so very grateful for everyone's help with it. Mike needed it and we provided it to remind him he is more than just our leader, but a good friend and someone who is cared for deeply by not only Chain Reaction, but Chain Reaction 2.0."
Those who helped Mike in his time of need deserve our utmost respect. Not only did they raise money on behalf of their friend, but they also put considered thought into how they could best use these funds to help bring some normality back to Mike and his daughter's lives. When he needed love and support, Mike's friends stepped up to the plate - although, he does have one small additional request.
"Everyone wanted to stay anonymous, but I know a couple of people that were definitely involved: AJ, Duckie, Mujera, Sherbear. I wish I knew the rest so I could thank them personally (tell me, damn you all!! <3)"
Having already extended my condolences, I'm sure the whole Torn community would join me in wishing Mike and his daughter well for the future, while also commending all of those involved in his Go Fund Me campaign. This story is undoubtedly heartbreaking, but the actions of AJ and the others clearly show that light truly does shine brightest in the darkness.
If you are on a journey that you would like to share, either for your own reasons or the benefit of others, contact me and tell me your tale. I love to hear how Torn interacts with the real lives of real people, so please drop by my profile and send me a message. Make sure to include "Newspaper: Real Life Story' in the message heading.
Original article
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