Deadpool knows what it is like for a person's life to be disrupted by Cancer because his alter-ego, Wade Wilson, had to combat an aggressive form of cancer. That is probably why he went out of his way to go to Alberta, Canada and visit Connor McGrath, the character's biggest fan who is also battling cancer at a young age, and give him bragging rights as the first person to watch "Deadpool."
Ryan Reynolds shared a photo of Connor and himself on Feb. 12 and revealed that Connor had already seen "Deadpool" six weeks ahead of its release, which officially makes him the first person to view the R-Rated Marvel film.
"I love this kid. He's the GREATEST. And he needs your help to get well," Reynolds wrote and shared a link to Connor's crowdfunding page where people can donate for his $800,000 treatment. Reynolds already donated to help Connor and he hopes that Deadpool's fans can also do the same.
Connor was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in 2013 and was treated for it. However, he relapsed in 2015 and had to endure a whole summer of aggressive treatments just to get him back in remission. Connor needed a bone marrow transplant and a donor match was found just as he entered remission. Unfortunately, just a week before his scheduled transplant, his cancer returned. Connor's doctors and family still did everything they could to remove the cancer from the young boy's body but, after several aggressive treatments, his cancer was diagnosed as "relapsed refractory A.L.L." Basically, it means that his cancer was not responsive to the treatments.
Connors family started the crowdfunding page to help them bear the expenses in case he needs to undergo a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell therapy because the provincial health care provider denied the McGrath's request. This is because, in spite of promising results, CAR T-Cell therapy is still considered as experimental.
As of Feb. 14, the latest results showed that Connor's cancer did not respond to another round of chemotherapy so it is possible that he will really need a CAR T-Cell therapy. One thing is for sure: Connor is not giving up the fight no matter how many times cancer beat him down. According to his mother, Connor told his doctor that he is not willing to give up.
Connor has shown tremendous amount of courage through his whole ordeal so it's no wonder that even Deadpool is rooting for him. Our thoughts and prayers go to Connor and his family.
