Avery, the 12-year-old Pokémon content creator known online as Avery the Poke Kid, has died after living with a rare form of pancreatic cancer for nearly eight years, his family announced.
His parents, Christian Garcia and Rebecca Rosa-Valentin, said Avery died at 7 p.m. after being taken to hospital for what they had expected to be a routine visit. Although he had recently moved into hospice care, the family believed they still had months with him.
“Everything changed so quickly,” they wrote in a statement posted on the Avery the Poke Kid Instagram account.
As it became clear that Avery’s life was nearing its end, his family took him to a rooftop garden at the hospital—one of his favorite places there. His parents said they held him, kissed him and told him how loved and proud he was as he took his final breath.
“Being Avery’s parents has been the greatest privilege of our lives,” the family said, while asking supporters to give them privacy, time and space to grieve.
Why was Avery the Poke Kid famous?
Avery became known for his joyful Pokémon card pack openings and collecting videos, shared across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. His enthusiasm and broad smile built a large audience, but the story behind the videos made his connection with viewers especially powerful.
Pokémon offered Avery something exciting to anticipate during hospital appointments and difficult periods of treatment. His parents said he also brought cards into hospital, opened packs with other young patients and gave cards away so they could experience the same sense of fun and distraction.
His online community eventually grew to more than 600,000 followers across platforms. One of Avery’s biggest ambitions was to reach 100,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and earn a Silver Creator Award. Supporters rallied around that goal, and he reached the milestone shortly before his death.
The achievement was more than an internet statistic. It represented a childhood dream fulfilled after years in which treatment, operations and hospital visits had shaped much of his life. His family thanked followers for helping Avery live out dreams “bigger than he ever imagined.”
Following news of his death, Pokémon collectors and viewers shared tributes remembering his courage, generosity and excitement on camera. Some fans also called for an official Pokémon tribute, although no such tribute had been announced at the time of publication.
Avery’s nearly eight-year fight with rare cancer
Avery was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatoblastoma when he was a young child. Pancreatoblastoma is a rare malignant pancreatic tumor most often diagnosed in children, according to information on childhood pancreatic cancer from the US National Cancer Institute.
In 2019, Avery underwent extensive surgery that removed his pancreas, gallbladder, spleen and duodenum, as well as part of his liver and stomach and several feet of his small intestine, according to the family’s fundraising page. He subsequently lived with type 1 diabetes and continued to need frequent medical care.
His parents said he endured multiple operations and radiation treatments and had previously entered hospice care twice. In their September 17 update, they said recent scans showed extensive disease progression, including tumors in both lungs and tumors in his liver and shoulder. The family then shifted its focus to keeping him comfortable and surrounding him with love.
Avery’s death came soon after that update. In their final message, his parents thanked people for praying for him, watching his videos and giving him a community that brought him happiness.
“We would give anything for one more day,” they wrote.
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