When Anthony Salzarulo (aka Couriway), one of the fastest Minecraft players on the planet, learned that his girlfriend was diagnosed with melanoma, he decided not to feel powerless. Instead, he snapped into action to help.
Plenty has been written about how teens and young adults have grown up facing negative influences, from remote learning to social media. But something positive is brewing in how Gen Z gives back their way. Here’s how the younger generation uses their unique skills in the fight against skin cancer.
By Melanie Hertgen
Anthony Salzarulo spends his days trying to break world records in Minecraft. He’s built a career around speed, precision and problem-solving under pressure. But when his girlfriend received a stage III melanoma diagnosis, no amount of gaming skill could help.
“When someone you love gets cancer, you feel pretty powerless,” Anthony says. But powerless isn’t really in his vocabulary. He’s a Minecraft speedrunner. He solves problems — fast. So he did what made sense to him: He went live.
Raising $35,000 in Five Days
Anthony, better known online as Couriway, is a gaming Youtuber and Twitch streamer who plays Minecraft for a living. Every day, thousands of people tune in to watch him speedrun Minecraft on Twitch — essentially, an attempt to beat the game as quickly as possible. An average Minecraft player takes around 20 to 50 hours to complete the entire game, but speedrunners like Anthony aim to finish in less than 15 minutes. Yes, minutes. This is his full-time job, and sometimes, that means streaming up to 540 hours in a single month.
When Anthony’s girlfriend was diagnosed with melanoma, “thoughts and prayers” didn’t cut it for him. He realized his platform could do a lot more than just entertain his viewers. He decided to rally his gaming community for a five-day charity marathon stream and raised nearly $35,000 to fight skin cancer.
How a Speedrunner Became a Fundraiser
Anthony found Minecraft at 12, started a YouTube channel at 13 and spent years making gaming content as a hobby while working in graphic design and esports. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he accomplished a world-record speedrun that blew up his platform and launched him into full-time Minecraft streaming. “Charity has always been part of speedrunning culture. It’s kind of built into the community,” Anthony explains. By using fun donation incentives in the game, streamers can appeal to viewers by allowing them to interact with the players through the game or through chat features.
In fact, fundraising wasn’t new to Anthony. He had already raised money for the Alzheimer’s Association and the American Heart Association. But this fundraiser was different. “Honestly? The fundraiser was selfish,” Anthony admits. “I needed to feel useful. I needed to feel like I wasn’t just sitting there watching it happen. Doing the fundraiser made both of us feel like we were making a difference.” That vulnerability and honesty are likely keys to why it was such a success.
$10K Goal, $35K Reality
Getting it done: The goal was to raise $10,000 for The Skin Cancer Foundation in a five-day
marathon stream. Anthony kept it real, showed he truly cared, and his supporters kicked in nearly $35,000.
Anthony initially set his fundraising goal at $10,000 for his five-day marathon stream. That seemed realistic, doable. His audience apparently had other plans.
One incentive promised that for every $1,000 raised, Anthony had to do a speedrun with “narrator mode” enabled — a robotic voice that announces every action he’s playing in the most annoying way possible. “Chat was so tired of narrator mode by the end,” Anthony laughs. “But they kept donating anyway.”
He ended up doing 25 more narrator runs than originally planned. The chat was over it. Anthony was over it. But the donations kept rolling in. And in the end, they reached nearly $35,000.
Why It Worked: Authenticity over Hype
Anthony kept it real — no fancy productions or celebrity cameos. It was just him, his PC and five days straight of pure Minecraft mania. “It wasn’t some grand, overproduced event,” he explains. “I wanted to do something for my girlfriend. Like now. As soon as possible.”
After a quick Google search about skin cancer, he found The Skin Cancer Foundation and sent a simple email asking to collaborate. Shortly after, he scheduled his charity marathon stream for the Fourth of July weekend. “It was my normal content, but I just made it into a marathon,” he says.
Here’s the thing about this generation: They can spot a paid partnership or a staged video from a mile away. But when a content creator shows they genuinely care about something? They notice. “I think sometimes when you just do something more down-to-earth, people resonate with that,” he explains. Especially when Anthony promised to wear a maid uniform on the final day of the marathon — a silly incentive he listed if they hit the $9,000 goal. Needless to say, they blew past it within the first two days.
“I’m really lucky that my job is playing a game I love,” Anthony says. “If I have a bad day, it’s because I died in Minecraft. That’s not a big deal compared to what other people deal with.” Anthony’s authenticity is why he has a loyal fanbase. They’ve followed his journey for years. So, when he asked them to support a cause that hit so close to his heart, they rallied behind him without hesitation.
The Real Highlight of the Marathon
Beyond the funds raised, one of the most impactful moments was the conversation happening during the stream. Viewers started asking the real questions: “Wait, I need sunscreen when I’m not at the beach?” “Gamers are always spending time inside, so we’re good, right?”
Well, not exactly. Many of Anthony’s audience — mostly gamers in their teens and 20s — had made it to adulthood without learning the basics of sun safety. They weren’t aware that short exposures can add up. “My viewers were willing to learn. They were attentive and understood that this is something they should care more about,” Anthony says. “A lot of people were aware that this could happen to them, so it resonated with them.”
He goes on further to reveal: “The biggest surprise to me was seeing how many people that this affected just in my community. I had no idea. One of my friend’s moms had skin cancer about 10 years ago. And another friend had a relative with skin cancer.”
Hundreds of people in the stream chat and donation comments shared their personal experience with skin cancer and showed gratitude to Anthony for bringing awareness to such a prevalent issue. And now, thousands of young people are better educated on sun protection. Not because they were forced to listen to some health lecture in a classroom, but because a peer they trusted started an important conversation, all while playing a game they love.
What It Meant to Her
Anthony’s girlfriend watched the entire event unfold. “She was super thrilled that it raised so much money,” he explains. “It made her also feel like she was doing something, too.”
Going through cancer treatment can feel isolating. But it’s heartwarming to see an entire community come together to raise funds and awareness in your honor. It can be a reminder that you’re not fighting alone, and that your story might help others avoid the same battle.
What’s Next?
Anthony isn’t slowing down. He aimed to accomplish 10,000 speedruns by the next TwitchCon Europe in 2026. “That’s about 400 speedruns a month,” he says, casually.
He planned another fundraiser for Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and scheduled charity streams tied to different causes that mean a lot to him: “This is better than any advertising. It’s a powerful tool that can be used for a lot of good.”
Just a decade ago, the term “Twitch fundraiser” was almost unheard-of. Today, a 26-year-old gamer (well, at least this super-skilled one) can raise nearly $35,000 from his bedroom by loading Minecraft on his PC and clicking “Go Live.” The younger generation are building online communities around shared interests and showing up for each other when it matters. Advocacy is starting to look different in the digital age, and it’s proving that you don’t always need an elaborate strategic plan. Sometimes all you need is somebody who cares, a platform to speak from and a community willing to listen.
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Melanie Hertgen is development coordinator for The Skin Cancer Foundation. She says this story inspired her to build even stronger connections with young advocates across the country, amplifying the voices of those fighting for a sun-safe future.
