October marked the start of the Vanilla SMP, the first event by Heart of a Hero. It’s a vanilla server with a bunch of content creators, that has hosted and will host some fun activities, all in the name of charity. The organiser of the fundraiser, AJX, has been very busy moving house, but fortunately they could make some time to talk to us about their project, and what inspired them to start it.
“Two years ago, my cousin Jenny received the heartbreaking news that she had an extremely rare type of cancer,” AJX tells me. “She underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and an 11-hour operation – after which she was told that she was cancer free. However, earlier this year she began to struggle with severe back pain which was revealed to be cancer that had wrapped around her spine in three places, almost paralysing her in the process. She then had an emergency spinal surgery, but after a PET scan a few months later, she got the devastating news that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and what remained of her pleura. This was treatable but incurable.
“Jenny is one of the kindest, strongest, and most brilliant people I have ever met. For one so young to have to go through these things and to still somehow be so incredibly strong-willed and determined not to let it break her is beyond inspiring, beyond comprehension. She has truly become my inspiration.
“During her time with cancer, my cousin received so much support from the Teenage Cancer Trust, alongside many other brilliant charities. What they do for young people that are facing the world crumbling beneath them is beyond incredible and having seen what they’ve done for my cousin, I am forever grateful.”
And Jenny is only one of the many young people who fight against cancer. According to the Teenage Cancer Trust, seven people aged between 13 and 24 get similar news each day, and that’s only covering statistics in the UK.
“A friend of mine from school recently got cancer, and he can only get very few visitors because of that. And someone close from the Minecraft sphere announced they got cancer and are going through chemo.” The creators collaborating with Heart of a Hero have shown AJX even more how much the cause means. “They all come in with their own stories; everyone ends up knowing someone who has had cancer, what they’ve had to fight through.” This holds especially true in the Minecraft community, where people continue to raise money in the name of Technoblade, even more than two years after his passing.
“So many young people receive the heartbreaking news that they have cancer,” AJX continues. “That is why I decided to set up Heart of a Hero, named for my cousin as well as so many other young people’s incredible heart and bravery.”
AJX has built up quite a few connections in the content creator space over the past year, and even more particularly in the event scene, and now he wants to build on those connections to do good in the world. “I have the opportunity to help, so I’m going to do it. I’m reaching out to many event owners, asking people to help out so we can raise as much money as possible, and give awareness to the amazing work these charities do.”
When asked about the future of Heart of a Hero, AJX tells me that he hopes to keep doing this for as long as his life doesn’t get in the way, and that he’s part of the content creator community. “This is the most important thing I’ve done.”
He goes on to reveal some of the planned events and collaborations. The first is a Jack Cas NOVUS event that should take place by the end of November, where – if everything goes according to plan – each team will be themed around a different country. In December there should be a One Shot Royale, run by WeChokeOnMilk, with help on the coding from MightyBrothers1. “I’m very close with them, so it made sense to do that,” AJX explains. “Earlier this year, InsideMC raised a lot of money for the British Red Cross through One Shot, and I just wanted to do the same. I’m very excited about running both events. They may get moved, but they’ll happen within the year.”
And that’s only the beginning. AJX says he’s been talking to more event owners, and that he has a bunch of ideas for SMPs. He even hints at an SMP that would take place in February: “a little bit of a Valentine’s Day one, potentially.”
When asked about the charity he chose to support, he explains: “It is the Teenage Cancer Trust for now, because I have that personal connection to it. But I recognise they do a very specific thing – wonderful, but specific – and I want to be able to do more. I also realise they are very UK-oriented and I want to do things across the world. I’m researching these charities, because I want to be very specific in which charities I pick. I want to make sure they’re trustworthy, and use the money well and wisely. Hopefully there will be a few Heart of a Hero events around different charities over the next few months.”
AJX is grateful for the help he has received to make the fundraiser set off smoothly. “I’d like to thank our mod team, they all deserve a huge shout out. Also, thank you to the artists that have worked with us and to the event owners. MightyBrothers1 helped to set up the VanillaSMP server. Also thanks to all the people who have donated and the creators who have been a part of it so far. We couldn’t do anything without them as well.”
The main way to stay up-to-date on the fundraiser and its activities is currently via X / Twitter. AJX hopes to create more content for the account in the coming weeks, after moving. Other social media avenues are also being explored and will open up soon, like TikTok, YouTube, and more. “I want to open up a website, explaining our story and what we do.”
People who want to know more can also go to the Teenage Cancer Trust website. “That is an amazing resource that helped us mould what we want to do, and what we are pushing for in our messaging.”
And of course, there’s the VanillaSMP that will be ongoing until the end of November, thanks to donation stretch goals being met. There are some fun events planned for that server as well, like a multi-wither fight, a build contest, and an end of SMP brawl. All in all, there’s plenty of things to look out for and even more ways to support the Heart of a Hero fundraiser.
You can donate to Heart of a Hero here.
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