48-Hour Stream Benefit Helps A Streamer, Raises Lyme Awareness
Twitch is home to countless video game-centric streamers showcasing an assortment of content; from major professional tournaments, to late-night Rock Band jam sessions, to everything in between. As a platform, the service is capable of reaching a tremendous audience who share a common interest. Usually, that interest is a shared love of video games. But every so often that interest serves a much higher calling, one of aiding others and educating the masses. Case in point, a recent 48-hour stream marathon on February 1 – 2 to assist a member of the Twitch community who goes by the handle of SqueakyB.
The benefit’s original intention was simply to help raise money for assistance with medical bills: SqueakyB has Lyme disease, and it has taken a major toll on both her body and bank account. The idea was conceived by Twitch user Mattzz2, who together with Squeaky co-founded a charity group called Wolf Pack Gaming. The Wolf Pack Gaming group have organized a handful of benefits up to this point, and when Matt realized that Squeaky needed a bit of help, he decided to organize a benefit for her. The response was immediate, as fellow members of the Twitch community signed up for three-hour block stream sessions. The original list of participants for “Operation: Squeaky Groundhog” can be found here, but the schedule somewhat changed over the course of the marathon.
Not content to passively appreciate the benefit put together on her behalf, Squeaky wanted to use the opportunity to help raise awareness about Lyme disease, openly and candidly discussing her situation so that others can be proactive and avoid falling into a similar situation. Seeing as how many of the participants involved in the benefit were streaming indie games, and active members of the Indie GamePlay StreamTeam, IGM was made aware of the benefit fairly quickly. As such, we had the chance to interview Squeaky live on stream to help get the message about Lyme prevention and possible treatments out there, as well as showcase a few great indie titles along the way.
Amidst the streams consisting of games such as Our Darker Purpose and Master Reboot, IGM learned how Lyme has affected Squeaky’s life, and what the twitch community has meant to her since she began streaming. We started by learning about when she was first affected by Lyme Disease. Squeaky explained that, “from what my doctor, my mom and I have worked out, I got it when I was 14. I was bitten by what I thought was just a chigger, on the back of my knee. My mom smeared Vaseline on the red lump that was in the middle of this rash that had formed, because she figured it’d suffocate the chigger, and problem solved.”
Our Darker Purpose, one of the games played on stream
Turns out, the problem wasn’t solved after all. “Well, shortly after that, I got mono for the second time, which just doesn’t happen very often. Then I had a streak of getting bronchitis, tonsillitis, and pneumonia in cycles on a regular basis. (Lyme can throw your immune system for a loop.)” Squeaky further explained that, “what likely happened is that the ‘chigger’ was a tick nymph, which is smaller than the head of a pin. It was feeding, and putting Vaseline on it panicked it, and this is really gross, but when you panic a tick, it vomits. If there’s Lyme or any other disease in its gut when this happens, well, now you have Lyme, bartonella, babesia…any combination of those, along with some other diseases.”
In an effort to raise awareness, Squeaky explained what to do in the event of being bitten by a tick: “So basically, don’t use chemicals or heat (like matches or whatever) to try to get a tick to ‘back out’ of your skin. It’ll back out, but it’ll puke, first, and then you’re screwed. Pull it out with tweezers, then disinfect the bite and take the tick to the doctor ASAP so you and the tick can be tested for Lyme.”
As the benefit continued, with streamers such as Parlock and SolonCubed playing indie titles like Assault Android Cactus and Corrypt, Squeaky discussed how Lyme affects her diet and daily regimen. “The dietary restrictions for Lyme disease are in place for several reasons, but it’s situational,” she explained. “I’m currently supposed to be on the following restrictions: no gluten, no sugar, no dairy, no fruit, no raw nuts, no raw mushrooms, no caffeine…it’s actually easier to list what I CAN eat than what I can’t. I can have any meats (except chicken, which I’ve developed an allergy to due to Lyme), any vegetables (except potatoes and corn), beans, rice, green tea, and water. It’s like Atkins and Paleo combined, and it’s honestly not terrible, because I really like veggies, and we can just go ahead and insert the required ‘bacon is allowed, and that’s freakin’ awesome’ comment, here.”
What makes these restrictions even more difficult is how expensive eating healthy can be. Given that she can’t work, and the price of her medications and regular doctor’s appointments, Squeaky admitted that”I eat more snack foods than I should, and except for the carrots that I snack on quite a bit, these days, most of my meals consist of some sort of cheese, either a sandwich or a bowl of ramen, and, because the fatigue from Lyme is so great, I will usually have a diet soda in the middle of the day to stay awake. I don’t consume many calories, but I don’t move a lot, either.”
Drawn by fellow streamer Keeshe, this GLaDOS artwork created during the benefit commemorates Squeaky’s love for Portal 2
Staying active is a major problem as well. When IGM asked Squeaky about how she maintains a level of physical and mental fitness, she explained that, “My mental, emotional, and physical health all have to be taken into account, but all three are compromised quite a bit, right now.” “Mentally, the best way I sort of ‘stay sane’ is by keeping a network of people to talk to, making sure I always have something to do or watch or read, because otherwise I start in this circular pattern of thought that leads to very bad things,” she admitted.
“Emotionally, having people around when I need them, but being allowed to say ‘that’s enough’ is invaluable. I used to be a huge extrovert, and obviously that can be seen in me, now, but because of the fatigue and other issues, it’s more difficult to be social, so I have to allow myself to take breaks and recollect myself.”
Keeping physically active is one of the more difficult parts. “Physically…I can’t do much. I do have hand weights that I was using up until a few weeks ago (which is when my medication messed with my tendons – they’re getting better, so I will be able to start, again), but walking any distance is very painful; so the amount of walking I do is limited to going to the bathroom, or kitchen…or to the living room when I need to use my gaming PC. I have to use a wheelchair when I go out, and I have a cane for short distances.”
After the benefit had ended, Squeaky hosted an “After Party” to thank everyone who participated. The group chatted, played a couple games, and even sang a bit. But for those looking to hear more about her condition, she has previously created an informational video about Lyme as well, which can be viewed in full below:
Concluding our interview, IGM asked Squeaky where proactive listeners/readers could go to find out more information about Lyme disease, and preventative measures for avoiding tick bites. “If you want to see the symptoms Lyme sufferers deal with, there’s Dr. Burrascano’s list. It’s overwhelming at first, but it becomes a great tool for self-evaluation during treatment. This PDF also includes treatment guidelines to discuss with your doctor.”
“There are several sites that have good general information, and I keep those linked on my Twitch channel – here they are!
Tick-Borne Disease Allicance
Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation
Lyme Disease Association, Inc.
Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc.
By the time the benefit concluded, the event surpassed the intended goal by a mile. Originally coming together in an effort to raise $800 to help with a month of Squeaky’s medical bills, the community pulled together a final total of $3,055.69 by midnight on February 2. (The full total, including the extra week donations were open for, can be found on the Wolf Pack Gaming Tumblr.) As an extra way of saying “Thank You” to everyone who participated in the benefit stream, Squeaky put together the following video:
Finally, Squeaky requested that a final list of all the people she’d like to thank be included at the end of this article. Here is that list:
Mattzz2
AdminRage
AJ_Smith
AlexxAplin
Auntiebels
BaconBoy
Biwinningism
Buff_n_stuff
Cessyfication
Chrohny
Darkest Kale
Ep1cn3ss
Eric Assmussen
FedoraG4mer
Gozita2003
Hananahammock
Jenns90
Katemonsterful
Keeshe
Lodomy
MaximusJ07
McSpidey
Parlock
RainyDayLetsPlay
Slothborn
Spirashun
SuperVinh47
Taeryth
ThatFennecFoxguy
VinnyParisi
Zotbot
