'Survivor' Adam Honors Mother Who Died From Lung Cancer Two Days After Filming

"Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X" castaway Adam Klein had a fantastic episode last night -- giving away his advantage instead of using it in the loved one's visit, winning immunity, and even playing an idol to cement his alliance's loyalty (and steal Will's thunder).

But even if the 25-year-old goes on to win the whole season, it will be bittersweet.

Adam's mother, Susie, died from Stage IV lung cancer on Saturday, May 14, 2016, which was just a couple of days after "Survivor" finished filming this season. Adam is now raising money for the #LiveLikeSusie Memorial Fund for Lung Cancer Research on YouCaring.com. The current fundraising total is $36,457 of a $50,000 goal.

In late October, Adam posted an update to the fundraising page, sharing more of his Mother & Son story with Susie, including that they were almost cast as partners on a "Blood vs Water" season before she was diagnosed:

"As you can imagine, my life feels very surreal. My biggest dream came true this year when I got a chance to compete on Season 33 of Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X. It was a family dream, something I almost got to do with my mom when we came close to being cast on the show together just over two years ago. At the time, my mom was the healthiest woman I knew. At 58 years old, she would have been the 3rd oldest woman in Survivor history, but she not only was physically cleared for the game, she was in incredible shape and would have run circles around me on the show. We didn't get on that year, but my family was confident that one day, it would happen.

Fast forward to one year ago. My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in August, creating the single greatest nightmare of all of our lives. My mom was always full of life, full of passion, and full of love, and she inspired others, myself included, to do the same. Even after she was diagnosed, she encouraged me to apply again to Survivor. At the time, it was hard for me to think about something like Survivor when our lives had just taken such a serious turn, but if my mom was going to keep living at 100%, I was going to follow her lead. I applied, and this time, after months of interviews, I got on.

I've now watched 5 episodes of myself on the show we loved as a family, the show that I talked about with my mom every week since I was 9 years old. Watching without her by our side on the couch is more devastating than anything I've ever experienced. And yet, the love and support from everyone who has donated to this campaign, who has been through a similar pain, and who shares our desire to end the nightmare of lung cancer for other families, has kept our family grounded, focused, and optimistic..."

Head to the donation page for more details or to support the fund.

Meanwhile, we still need to find out Adam's fate on the show. Jeff Probst teased a double elimination in the December 7 episode, telling Entertainment Weekly, "We are getting down to the end, and next week we lose two people. I love/hate these episodes because I hate losing people, but I love having Two Tribals and two votes. Then the following week, it's our finale and it's going to be great!"

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