What disease is affecting Ironmouse?

Ironmouse remains one of the most popular Vtubers in pop culture and became so while living with a debilitating disease.

The Puerto Rican streamer first hit the scene in 2017, making her one of the longest-tenured English-speaking vtubers online. Her primary inspiration to pursue streaming was Kizuna Ai, considered by many as the pioneer of Vtubers as a whole, particularly in the form of anime girls.

Ironmouse pursued streaming in 2017 because she felt “lonely and wanted something to do.” What began as an exercise in fighting loneliness became her career, and she started breaking records left and right in the Twitch Vtuber space. In March 2022, she became the most subscribed female streamer on Twitch, thanks to her subathon efforts.

Even more impressive, Ironmouse accomplished all this while living with a life-threatening disease.

What disease does Ironmouse have?

Ironmouse has common variable immunodeficiency, an immune disorder that leaves her bedridden and vulnerable to health complications.

Part of Ironmouse’s loneliness stems from her inability to leave her bed. Due to the nature of her disease, too much exposure and physical effort can threaten her life. COVID-19 further complicated matters, and she became even more isolated from others during this period. Ironmouse’s distinctive high-pitched voice doesn’t come from a voice changer or a character. After surviving a lung infection caused by CVID,  her voice became how it is today.

Ironmouse gets 2000 dollars for a better workspace without being able to explain why (EXTENDED CUT)

One of the most viral videos associated with Ironmouse is when she set a donation goal of $2,000 to improve her workspace. In the stream, she explained that her disease stops her from doing much of anything outside of her bed. Ironmouse achieved the $2,000 goal in a matter of minutes, and she understandably gets emotional.

Ironmouse wants to educate more people about immune disorders and has done several charity streams to motivate research in the field. In August 2021, she raised $100,000 for the Immune Deficiency Foundation. Fellow streamers and friends like Connor “CDawgVA” Colquhoun also raised money for the same charity that month.

Her story is one of the most wholesome reasons for anybody to become a vtuber. It enables talented creators like Ironmouse to find an outlet for their passion, regardless of any physical limitation or disease they may have in real life. For such a small girl, Ironmouse packs a lot of heart.