In Memory of You: Kyburg60’s Mission to Pay it Forward
A Tradition of Doing Good
Donna, also known as kyburg60 on Twitch, grew up in the district hospital system in the early 1960s. Districts helped rural hospitals provide care more similar to large hospitals in big cities. The hospital where she was born had only 44 beds, but it was still the largest hospital for 500 miles. Her mother was a nurse who received her training in World War II, and her father was a pharmacist, leading them to the district hospital in their hometown after the war.
Donna distinctly remembers a cart filled with toys and blankets for kids rolling through the hospital. “The understanding was, hospital stays are stressful, and you need diversion and enrichment,” shares Donna.
Shaped by an environment where doing good was simply the norm, the tradition to give back established its roots in her childhood, then sprung and flourished after meeting Cliff, her late husband.
Only a Deck of Cards
Donna met Cliff in college, 90 days before graduation. “We clicked, and we were literally inseparable after,” reminisces Donna. They were married ten months later.
Cliff was incredibly smart. At the age of 14, he was programming at JPL for the Voyager 1 and would do 3-digit square roots in his head just for fun.
He was also living with Type 1 diabetes. Cliff and Donna spent a lot of time in the hospital, and eventually Cliff was placed in long-term acute care. Donna recalls Cliff’s room was like a “little cinder block box-of-a-place". There was not much to entertain Cliff, except for a deck of cards a security guard offered him.
“All he had was a deck of cards,” Donna shares. “Nobody should live with just a deck of cards to keep them occupied in the hospital. That was absolutely ridiculous, and that was the best we could do. There’s so much more you can provide anyone in a hospital setting that will at least give them their life back – little, tiny pieces at a time.”
Donna became good at bringing in desktop computers, so Cliff could get on the internet, allowing him to make friends and connect with others. “For the last five years of his life, he made friends he wouldn’t have made otherwise,” she shares. Cliff lived until he was 36.
In 2020, Donna began fundraising for Starlight, in memory of Cliff.
Through programs like Starlight Gaming, she has provided hospitalized kids with social connection, fun, distraction and entertainment during their toughest moments.
Since then, Donna has raised $20,000 to place Starlight programs at hospitals. She works a full-time job yet wakes up at 4 a.m. to charity stream five days a week.
When someone asks her why, she shows them Cliff's deck of cards.
“Only a deck of cards. And a whole life lived in a hospital setting.”
- Donna
Year-Round Impact
Rather than fundraising only during campaigns, Donna fundraises all year long because she knows there is a constant and urgent need to give kids the programs they need.
“It’s very important to remember a kid is only a kid once. The time you have with your people, you don’t get back. You make the most of it, while you don’t pay much attention to the fact that you’re in a hospital. And if you can get to a place where you’re not even aware you’re in a hospital - gosh, that’s the best. Right?” - Donna
She especially appreciates fundraising with Starlight because she can direct her funds to specific underserved hospitals in her local community. Having grown up in a district hospital, Donna understands the importance of ensuring equitable access to programming. Starlight’s unique model gives her the opportunity to make that kind of impact.
Due to her efforts, in 2023, Donna was able to visit the first hospital who received a Starlight Gaming Station, powered by Nintendo from her fundraising efforts on Twitch with her community.
Cliff’s name was on the side of the Gaming Station.
When asked what it meant for her to see that she says, “He’s still here.”
Make the Most of Every Moment
Cliff had once asked Donna to promise to help others and pay it forward. By supporting hospitalized kids in need, she has been able to keep her promise.
“I kept my promise. He asked me to do something, and I’ve been able to fulfill that and do more for the people who are here who may not be here any longer than he got to be. But these years and these times, if there’s one thing he taught me, is you never let a moment pass without making something of it.”
- Donna
Now, we turn the baton to you. Don’t let this moment pass without making something of it.
You can be the community hero that kids are relying on. Kids will only be kids once.
Help them make the most of every moment of childhood.
