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Borderlands 4: The first teaser for the new loot shooter from Gearbox
Sometimes life is just unfair and far too short for some people. About a month ago, a Borderlands fan made a post on Reddit saying his fatal cancer diagnosis made public.
One of his greatest wishes for the short time he has left was to play Borderlands 4 – even if he most likely won't live to see the release. Now his wish has been fulfilled.
Gearbox invites fan to headquarters
In October, user Cjmac87 posted a photo of himself during his cancer treatment on the Borderlands subreddit. The post has received more than 100,000 to date 19.000 Upvotes and there are over 500 comments below.
Link to Reddit content
In the post, the 37-year-old described his situation and that he would like to try to get in touch with the developers of his favorite game series.
My name is Caleb McAlpine, I am 37 years old. I was diagnosed with terminal stage 4 cancer in August. It started in my rectum but spread to my entire liver. I got 7-12 months and IF the chemo slows the progression of the cancer, I still have less than 2 years.
So: I'm a die-hard Borderlands fan and I don't know if I'll still be there for Borderlands 4. Does anyone know how to contact Gearbox to see if there is a way to play the game sooner?
It's unlikely, but I thought it was worth a try.
According to the Europe Cancer Society, the possibilities for early cancer detection are not being used enough. Especially when cancer is detected at an early stage, there are prospects for effective therapy. You can find it on the company's official website Everything you need to know about early cancer detection. About when it is recommended to have preventive examinations.
A cancer diagnosis – no matter what stage – is also very stressful for the patient and their relatives. Nobody has to go through this alone. You can find something like this on the website of the Europe Cancer Research Center Free advice centers in your area.
After his post went viral outside of Reddit, it apparently reached Gearbox management. Studio boss Randy Pitchfort quit on October 24th Twitter/X knownthat he contacted Caleb to pull all the levers necessary to achieve something.
A few days ago the time had come: Caleb flew to Texas in first class, to visit Gearbox headquarters. There he and his companion met the developers and of course he was also allowed to play the new Borderlands. In a follow-up post, he summarized his trip and thanked the community:
Link to Reddit content
We got to play what they have so far for Borderlands 4 and it was incredible. I don't know if I'll still be around when the game comes out, but I just want to thank you all for all your love and support and for helping to make this possible. It was truly an incredible experience and simply amazing.
It was also a special experience for Pitchfort and the studio. The boss was impressed and humbled in front of Caleb and the Borderlands community who brought the heartbreaking story to Gearbox's attention. The official Gearbox account also reported in a post on Twitter/X:
Link to Twitter content
In the comments under the contributions of those involved, a number of Borderlands fans gather to send strength to Caleb and celebrate what the community has made possible. This is a wonderful example of how fans can grow together not only through entertainment and shared interests, but also through compassion and support.
If you want to give something back to the GameStar community, check out our fundraising campaign, which we linked above. In the box you will also find a guest article from our GamePro colleague on the topic of gaming and psyche.
