There’s a powerful sense of community among Vine‘s top artists. They frequently appear in each other’s videos and hang out together. Now, they’ve thrown their weight behind a campaign to support the creator of the “Ryan Gosling won’t eat his cereal” series.
Last month, Ryan McHenry was diagnosed with cancer. He needs surgery and chemotherapy. He let the community know with a Vine in the style of his popular Gosling videos, using a clip of the actor to illustrate his fight with the disease.
I got told yesterday that I have cancer. I would just like to let you all know I’m staying positive and I’m going to fight it. Fuck Cancer.
— RYAN McHENRY (@RyanWMcHenry) July 18, 2013
Community members rallied behind McHenry with a crowdfunding campaign. Paul Zenisek, cofounder of the @unpopularnow group of Vine collaborators, set up the Indiegogo project with a little help from his friends.
“Before Vine, none of us had met,” Zenisek wrote on the campaign page. “Vine has been a life-changer for many of us, and we’d like to show our support to Ryan as he goes through chemotherapy.”
While McHenry won’t have medical bills since he lives in Scotland, he won’t be able to work while recovering. Funds raised will help toward McHenry’s day-to-day expenses, with any leftover cash funneled toward the feature film he’s making.
Many of Vine’s most popular figures—Nicholas Megalis, Marlo Meekins, Max Burlingame, Meagan Cignoli, and Jerome Jarre—have offered their support, both through the campaign video and by offering perks to donors. Some are lending their time for Skype calls with fans, while others like Khoa Phan will make custom vines for those who pledge enough cash.
They’ve raised $9,700 so far, with 36 days still to run on the campaign.
Meanwhile, others are showing their support for McHenry by posting Vines and tweets using the #WeLoveRyan hashtag.
Vine of Silence for Ryan McHenry. Keep on fighting. #weloveryan #vineofsilence https://t.co/iaqYBSjVuI
— Jacque Aubrey (@Jacque_Aubrey) August 7, 2013
McHenry is hugely grateful for the support. With the community in his corner, he’s ready to kick cancer’s ass.
Doctor told me by now I’d be at my weakest, thanks to you lot I’m feeling great. A week until next chemo session. pic.twitter.com/CvLCXfsZBW
— RYAN McHENRY (@RyanWMcHenry) August 5, 2013
H/T Inquisitr | Photo via @RyanWMcHenry/Twitter