Anime fans around the world are showing their support via GoFundMe for voice actor Billy Kametz following his Colon cancer diagnosis last month.
For the most part, the anime community is divided and nowhere is this better demonstrated than on the internet. Whether it’s about the GOAT of each genre, studios, animation or even the infamous subbed vs dubbed debate, there aren’t many times the entire community comes together.
However, our community is now showing its support for one of our own; veteran voice actor of the anime industry Billy Kametz who sadly was recently diagnosed with Colon cancer. Through a GoFundMe campaign, anime fans are rallying together to stand with Kametz against Colon cancer.
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Anime voice actor Billy Kametz steps away for cancer treatment
Billy Kametz is a veteran of the anime voice acting industry and avid followers of English dubbed series will surely recognise Kametz’s voice from his various fantastic performances.
His most notable roles have been as Naofumi in The Rising of the Shield Hero and Shigeru in Neon Genesis Evangelion. However, the 35-year-old Pennsylvania-native has various esteemed credits to his resume, including Attack on Titan (Nicolo), Dorohedoro (Risu), Boruto (Metal Lee) and Vinland Saga (Ari).
On April 26th, Kametz would share on his YouTube channel that he had sadly been diagnosed with stage four Colon cancer. In an emotional video, Kametz said that “I’m doing okay, as soon as we found out we had an amazing team of doctors and specialists really helping me out.”
He added that he was already on “a good dose of pain meds, I’ve started chemotherapy and I’ve got some radiation done on parts of my spine.” In a powerful statement, the veteran voice actor simply said, “It sucks, it’s just a freak of nature thing that happened that I just got to deal with now and we are going to do that.”
Kametz then shared that he would be taking a break from anime voice acting whilst he undergoes treatment, which includes the new English dubbing for The Rising of the Shield Hero season 2.
“I’ll be taking a break from California and ill be taking a break from work for the time being. So there are some shows that I was doing that I wasn’t able to finish. I was coming back for a season 2 and season 3 [of The Rising of the Shield Hero] and I’m sadly not going to be a part of it. So if you guys could do me a favour, anybody that is replacing me on any show if you could just please, it’s such a weird thing for an actor to have to do, if you just support the cr** out of them and just be their biggest cheerleader, that would make me really, really happy.” – Billy Kametz, via YouTube.
In the light of the announcement, a GoFundMe campaign was started and thankfully, the entire anime community is coming together to support the brilliant Kametz in this difficult time.
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GoFundMe campaign closes in on target goal
The GoFundMe campaign was started less than one week ago by Jinnie McManus, Aaron Moyer and Erica Lindbeck on behalf of Kametz. Initially, the goal was to raise $100,000 to support his treatment, but the support shown has been nothing short of outstanding, with the campaign having currently raised more than $118,000!
“Anyone who has met Billy Kametz will tell you he is one of the warmest, kindest, most-sincere human beings on this earth. Quick to laugh with his infectious smile, he brings joy to everyone around him—whether that is a room full of friends and family, gracious fans at conventions, or, most recently, the nurses and doctors who attended to him in the hospital.” – Support Billy Kametz, via GoFundMe.
Donations from across the anime world are flooding in, with countless messages of support from fans appearing almost every few minutes on the campaign’s message board. If you have any money to spare for the campaign, the entire team would be incredibly grateful for your support via the GoFundMe campaign, a link to which you can find here.
However, we understand not everyone has funds readily available, so if you have watched any of Kametz’s work before or if you are an avid anime fan in general, please consider sharing the campaign on social media.
“That is why we ask you to join his fight by supporting this campaign. Not only will our support help him focus on his diagnosis rather than his finances, but it will also give us the opportunity to show Billy in a real, tangible way how much we appreciate the happiness he has brought to our lives – through his kindness to his friends, family, and fans, and from his voice on our TV screens. With your help, he can continue spreading that happiness for years to come.” – Support Billy Kametz, via GoFundMe.
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By Tom Llewellyn – [email protected]
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