#SPNfamily raises money for Jim Beaver’s niece’s fight with cancer
Never doubt the power of the #SPNfamily to come through in times of need.
Jim Beaver plays one of Supernatural’s most important and beloved characters, Bobby Singer. After making his debut appearance in the season 1 finale, the rough but lovable father figure has appeared in every season of the show and become irreplaceable to the Supernatural fandom.
Unfortunately, Beaver appeared in headlines in December and January for a much more heartbreaking reason: his 16-year-old niece Kira was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. But while the circumstances were tragic, the news gave the SPN community a chance to give back to someone who has given them so much joy over the years.
Beaver told The Hollywood Reporter in December that doctors “don’t know much about how to treat [the cancer], and the treatments are, in some ways, experimental and insurance companies aren’t crazy about paying for them.” A longtime fundraiser for the John Wayne Cancer Foundation and Rainbow House himself, Beaver turned to the SPN family when he learned of Kira’s parents’ attempts to crowdsource medical funds.
My heart is breaking. My beautiful 16-year-old niece Kira has inoperable brain cancer. Costs for her care are staggering. Please, if I've meant anything to you, contribute a dollar or 10 or 10 thousand to her care. It will mean the world to me and to her. https://t.co/t9joTyK3eQ pic.twitter.com/zmdNqz7wxC
— Jim Beaver blue check mark (@jumblejim) November 18, 2017
According to THR, before Beaver’s tweet the family had raised slightly more than $70,000. Once the Supernatural fandom got involved, the total reached $275,000 by the time THR went to press.
But the fandom is a family too, after all, so of course, fans didn’t just send money — they sent greeting cards, gift baskets and letters as well.
“I think Kira is finally impressed with her uncle because I’m not sure she realized quite the influence someone who happens to be on Supernatural can have,” Beaver told THR. Adding:
"I never had a sense of the same kind of community there but with Supernatural … every day I see evidence of how much caring and how much the milk of human kindness is part of this particular fan base. I’m proud to be some little part of the show that has registered so strongly with people. This show is amazing by how much it positively affects people — and it’s all on the fans."
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In January, the San Diego Union-Tribune published an update on the family. Kira was preparing for her fourth treatment, and her most recent MRI showed the tumor had stopped growing. The Gofundme has covered all the expenses, but they’re continuing to raise money for the additional treatments that cancer will require down the road.
Well done, everyone! The power of fandom for good!