When I set out to check my email today I didn't expect I'd see a piece of news that would simultaneously make me both depressed as well as oddly happy.

That Dragon, Cancer is a game that takes you through the terrifying experience of having a child with cancer from the perspective of the parents that actually had to go through it themselves. The one happy note in all of this is that its coming out on January 12th, Joel's birthday, as a digital memorial for him and his struggles.

Here's the trailer for the game and I'm warning you now, if you aren't ready to be emotionally drained I'd suggest skipping out on it for now:

In a touching gesture by the Internet at large "That Dragon, Cancer" wasn't funded solely out of the parents budget but rather through a Kickstarter campaign that raised $100,000 in order to bring this project to life.

The most uplifting thing of all is that the parents, rather than stay devastated by the loss of their child, decided to turn the whole thing in to a joyous occasion by inviting the rest of the world to join them in their pancake & waffles party, Joel's favorite food, in an effort to inspire others and to serve as a moving testament to Joel's life.

"We’ve been working crazy hours to make sure it’s ready for release on this special date! Since it is Joel’s birthday, we wanted to do something Joel would have enjoyed to celebrate the launch. We want to have a worldwide pancake party on January 12th. (Joel loved pancakes and waffles!) To join in on the fun, just eat pancakes or waffles for dinner with all the messiest, most delicious toppings you can find on January 12th and post some photos to social media with #ThatDragonCancer."

You can find more information about That Dragon, Cancer over at their website.