Jerry Fort, a 25-year-old fan of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, needs a complex lung transplant to treat severe interstitial lung disease. His lungs are physically attached to his chest wall, requiring surgeons to rip them apart before replacing them, making the operation highly dangerous. "My lungs are attached to the chest wall, so doing surgery means ripping apart my lungs from my chest wall – physically ripping them – then pulling them out, then replacing them with new lungs. It's going to be very bloody, very dangerous," Jerry explained [1].
Jerry has been creating content on TikTok since 2022, posting music and gaming videos and sharing his passion for the GTA franchise. On June 18, 2026, Father's Day, he posted a video from intensive care saying, "I just want to play GTA VI." The video went viral, gathering over 11 million views and millions of likes worldwide [1, 2, 3].
His mother, Paris Fort, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of Jerry's surgery and recovery. The fundraising effort drew overwhelming support from the global GTA fan community, raising at least $50,000. Some reports indicate the total has exceeded $76,000 with over 4,000 donations, reflecting differences in sources [1, 2, 3].
Jerry underwent a rare 11-hour lung transplant surgery in early August 2026. During the operation, his heart nearly stopped, but he survived the ordeal. Jerry later posted a TikTok message in Chinese thanking the community: "好多人都前來留言，好多訊息，好多美麗的心…真的無比感謝大家。" He also promised, "無論《GTA6》何時上市，我一定會直播這款遊戲，這是我們共同的目標！" (No matter when GTA 6 launches, I will stream the game; it is our shared goal) [3].
GTA 6 is officially scheduled for release on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms [2, 3].
