In 2018, young Adrian Rodriguez died of cancer at just nine years old. Though he spent a lot of time bed-ridden in the hospital, he was able to find joy through video games, particularly theCall of Dutyseries. In remembrance of Adrian and to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters (CHKD) for cancer research, aCall of Dutytournament was held this past Saturday, March 30, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
According to his mother Koko Rodriguez, Adrian’s fascination with video gaming started when he was a baby. “From the time he was crawling, he had at first a Wii controller,” Koko told local Virginia affiliate ABC 13. Adrian then graduated from the Wii to play Xbox 360 and Xbox One, which is when he started playingCall of Dutyonline. “[…] his friends were the online gaming community. They couldn’t see him, or judge him, or feel sorry for him.”
Adrian’s brother Alex remarked on his younger brother’sCall of Dutyskills. “He was better than me even, though I’m the oldest. He was better than me at everything.” The last time Alex playedCall of Duty, it was right beside Adrian.
Since Adrian was such a big fan ofCall of Duty, it made sense to host aCall of Dutytournament in his honor and to help raise money for cancer research. All of the proceeds from tournament entry fees are being donated to CHKD. The total number of players or the amount of money raised weren’t reported on by the ABC local news affiliate in Virginia Beach.
As is illustrated by Adrian’s story, video game charities can be an effective way to raise for a good cause. One of the most successful video game charity events isAwesome Games Done Quick, which raises money for non-profit organizations like Doctors Without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Personal video game charity events have also found success, and we hope that is the case with Adrian’sCall of Dutytournament.
Adrian’s family told ABC 13 that they know Adrian was looking down at theCall of Dutytournamentwith pride since so many people came to play the game in his honor. His mother added, “Adrian was fun, every day was fun with him, even when he was sick he made the most of every day.”
“We didn’t have sad days.”
Source:ABC 13
