Twisted Tea Puncher's Family Shares Heartwarming Video Amid GoFundMe

Barry Allen, the man wielding a Twisted Tea can in the recent viral video, has seen a massive [...]

By Michael Hein

Barry Allen, the man wielding a Twisted Tea can in the recent viral video, has seen a massive influx of donations to his family's GoFundMe campaign for medical help. Allen revealed in an interview with the Mark One Sports podcast last week that his 6-year-old son Silas is in a wheelchair, and the family is raising money for an accessible van. Those that appreciated his fight with a racist Circle K customer have shelled out.

Allen inspired a whole genre of Twisted Tea memes earlier this month, but now many are taking a more serious look at his family's needs. A crowdfunding page for his son has been active online since August of 2020, but donations really started pouring in after he shared the link on social media. On Saturday night, fans reached "Mr. Tea-KO's" $20,000 goal, and have since surpassed it. Allen and his partner shared a video of Silas on social media to thank fans.

"Thank you to everyone who is apart of changes this little guys life. Words can't express how much it means to us when we woke-up," the latest update reads. "Everyone donation means so much to us!
According to the GoFundMe description, Silas has a long list of medical issues stemming from a kmt2b gene mutation. It affects his mobility and some organ functions, and requires the family to spend time and money traveling to various hospitals for treatments. Allen and his partner, Sarah Alvarez have four other children as well, two of whom have disabilities besides Silas.

Other recent updates and social media posts from Allen's family show Silas smiling at the camera from his wheelchair, thanking supporters for their generosity. In a video on Saturday, he said: "Thank you so much, love you!" before blowing a kiss to the camera.

The fundraiser goal has now gone up from $20,000 to $25,000. According to the description, "funds will go to a wheelchair van for Silas as we don't have a accessible car. Anything left over goes to medical supplies insurance doesn't cover along with anything to help silas adapt to his new normal of less and less mobility."

All of this generosity stems from a viral video of Allen in a Circle K convenience store in Elyria, Ohio on the night of Dec. 24. After a heated confrontation full of racist slurs and challenges, Allen hit a man so hard in the face with a can of Twisted Tea that it split open, spraying malt beverage everywhere. Social media went wild for this display, believing it to be righteous and triumphant. Local police have said that they are aware of the incident, but have not indicated if an investigation is underway.

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