This 81-Year-Old Grandma Playing Minecraft With Her Grandson Will Make You Cry
Sue Jacquot lives in Arizona and first opened Minecraft because her grandchildren asked her to. She learned the basics sitting beside them, asking questions, and figuring things out as she went.
In October 2025, Sue took that same setup online. She started a YouTube channel called GrammaCrackers with a specific reason in mind: helping pay medical bills for her 17-year-old grandson, Jack. Jack had been diagnosed with sarcoma, a cancer that affects bones and connective tissue.
How the Channel Took Off So Quickly
@metrouk This granny set up a Minecraft YouTube channel to help pay for her grandson’s cancer treatment. Jack’s medical bills were huge, so Sue Jacquot launched ‘GrammaCrackers’. She grew to over 300,000 subscribers and by linking a GoFundMe in every video, raised thousands. The money was used to cover medical bills and Jack is now in remission. #gooddeed #positivenews #minecraft #gofundme ♬ original sound – Metro
YouTube monetization requires 1,000 subscribers before ad revenue kicks in, and Sue passed that mark almost immediately. Within a month, the channel had reached around 100,000 subscribers. A few months later, that number grew past 200,000!
Her first video, a simple Minecraft playthrough lasting about 15 minutes, pulled in more than 500,000 views. Subsequent uploads regularly reached tens of thousands of views, sometimes more. Viewers were drawn to her steady presence, her willingness to learn in public, and the transparency around why she was there. Every video linked back to a GoFundMe page set up by Jack’s brother, Austin. Sue also pledged that all revenue earned through YouTube would go toward Jack’s treatment.
The Reality Behind the Fundraising
Image via Getty Images/Artur
The donations did not come in one dramatic surge, but in small and large increments. Contributions ranged from $1 to $5,000. By January 2026, the total had passed $43,000. Jack later described the treatment process as intense, involving close to 200 chemotherapy sessions over the course of a year. Hospital stays were frequent, and recovery was demanding. The money raised helped reduce the financial pressure tied to that care, but it also gave the family a sense that people were paying attention in a moment that felt overwhelming.
Why Viewers Stayed
Plenty of internet stories spike and fade, but this one didn’t follow the same path because it never pretended to be anything else. Sue did not rebrand herself as a gamer personality. She stayed focused on playing Minecraft, learning as she went, and talking honestly about her motivation.
Viewers responded to the lack of performance because her channel did not rely on editing tricks or commentary hooks. The appeal came from watching someone commit fully to something unfamiliar because the stakes mattered.
The Minecraft community amplified the channel, but the audience grew beyond gamers. Many subscribers had never played the game, and they stayed because the purpose was easy to understand and the progress felt shared.
By early 2026, Jack described himself as cancer-free and feeling great. Sue has said she felt overwhelmed by the scale of the response and grateful for the support that followed her unexpected leap into online life.
The channel remains active, not because the story is over, but because recovery has its costs and uncertainties. The videos continue, the audience keeps growing, and the reason behind every upload remains the same as it was on day one.