Story By: James King, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
This 12-year-old cancer sufferer – who touched the hearts of millions of netizens and notched up over eight million new subscribers in a few days – has been unable to post content after his health dramatically worsened.
Tomas Blanch’s desire to be a YouTube star captured the imagination of millions of users on platforms like Reddit and Twitter and resulted in him not only getting millions of followers but also winning a coveted Copihue de Oro Award, given to leading figures in the entertainment world in his home country Chile, in the category of best YouTuber.
Blanch was seen in his first video wearing an eye patch following brain surgery on a tumour and, as well as being almost blind in one eye, the disease has left him unable to use one of his arms.
Nevertheless, he worked hard to achieve his dream of becoming a YouTube star before his condition worsened and he has of late been off air and posting no new content.
His family has confirmed that the illness is currently preventing him from posting any new content, prompting his millions of fans to wish him well.
The brave schoolboy started a YouTube channel on 19th March and had just 35 followers at first. Ten days later on 29th March, he was left amazed when it spiralled to 8 million and he won the prestigious award for the country’s best YouTuber.
Tomas posts humorous videos talking about his favourite videogames, his family, his pets and his hobbies.
In one clip, Tomas is surrounded by his friends and siblings while thanking his subscribers and drinks sparkling juice from a wine glass.
The day before on Tuesday (6th April), Tomas shared a video of him unboxing a keyboard designed especially for use with one hand.
In another video, Tomas describes how excited he is to play one of his favourite games ‘Minecraft’ with the new keyboard.