Survivor’s Luke Toki closes GoFundMe page after raising $550k
Survivor favourite Luke Toki shut down a GoFundMe page after it reached more than $550,000 after it was set up following his shock exit from the popular reality TV show. The father of three said he will be donating some of the money to charity.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Survivor Shock elimination: ‘It hits pretty hard’
- ‘I had to fight hard’: Pia Miranda crowned $500k Survivor
Survivor favourite Luke Toki has disabled a GoFundMe page after it reached more than $550,000 while vowing to give some of the pot of cash to charity.
The father of three was widely tipped to win the reality show but placed fourth overall before actor Pia Miranda was crowned Sole Survivor and took home the $500,000 prize money.
Fans flocked to the GoFundMe page with more than 16,000 donations totalling $550,460 before it was closed.
“We asked the guy that started it to close it because we didn’t think it was fair to keep going,” Toki told Confidential.
“I feel like I have had a lot of emotions about this whole journey. My emotions have gone from super sad to happy for what I did and now I am excited for the future.
“The last two days hasn’t just affected me, my wife is also struggling to comprehend what it means for us.
“The whole trajectory of our life is changing and it is a weird one to process.”
He added: “I would love to be able to message everyone who donated to say thanks but thanks doesn’t seem like enough. The only way I can repay people is to make sure we spend the money right.”
Toki, 30, will donate $50,000 to charity with the rest to go towards his mortgage and medical bills for his children.
The mining technician and wife Mary are parents to sons Lennox, eight, and Nate, five, both of whom are on the autism spectrum, and daughter, Madison, who is six months old and was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
“The lion’s share will go to our mortgage,” Toki said.
“Us having less debt is going to help the kids. I am not going to stop working, we won’t be flying off to Fiji to live on a beach somewhere drinking Pina Colada’s. It is going to the future of my kids and the mortgage will be taking a massive hit.”
He continued: “It means we will be able to cover therapy for the kids and keep up with the medicine and just enrich their lives is the overall idea of it.”
Toki and Miranda have been in touch this week and the pair remain friends.
“If you look into it as a game, it is the first ever two winner Survivor,” he said.
“I’ve won too given what has happened and I am very grateful. I am still trying to process it.”