Actor Ryan Reynolds recorded and sent a moving video message to Brody Dery, an 11-year-old Canadian fan who is battling a form of cancer known as Hodgkin lymphoma.
Reynolds sent the video after Brody and his mom, Randi, uploaded a video requesting the actor to send a message of love and support to Brody.
In the video uploaded to Twitter (see below), Randi said that she and her son were huge fans of the actor and his superhero movie character, Deadpool. She also said that her son loved Deadpool’s humor.
Randi explained that they uploaded the video because they wanted to send a message to their favorite actor, and they hoped to hear back from him.
Reynolds responded to Brody’s message
Twitter fans drew the 44-year-old Deadpool actor’s attention to the request, according to E! Online.
Reynolds recorded a message and sent the clip to the boy and his mom.
Hey Twitter! Let’s make sure this message gets to @VancityReynolds. Brody Dery from #CityofPG needs some inspiration and is hoping Ryan can help him out after a tough week of chemo @BCChildrensHosp pic.twitter.com/bn9ssb9HEt
— Caden Fanshaw (@CadenFanshaw) January 12, 2021
Reynolds’ response to Brody and his mom was aired on the local Prince George, B.C. station CKPG-TV. It was also posted on Twitter by CKPG-TV reporter Caden Fanshaw (see below).
In the video, Reynolds greeted Brody and told him he just heard about him. He said he recorded the video to let Brody know he was thinking about him and sending him love and strength.
“I just wanted to send you this video and let you know that I’m thinking about you, that I’m sending you tons of love, and I’m sending you strength – whatever strength I’ve got,” Reynolds said.
How cool is this? Huge thanks to @VancityReynolds for taking the time to send a message back to Brody Dery from Prince George. Thanks to everyone for helping get the message to Ryan so fast! @ckpgnews pic.twitter.com/dFJJi6huC1
— Caden Fanshaw (@CadenFanshaw) January 13, 2021
Brody was overjoyed to receive the message
Randi said that Brody was overjoyed to receive Reynold’s message and he watched the video many times with his family.
“His jaw hit the floor,” Randi told CTV News. “He keeps saying, ‘I feel special – I feel like I’m the movie star.'”
Brody has Hodgkin Lymphoma
Brody has Hodgkin Lymphoma, a form of cancer that affects the body’s lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system is part of the body’s system of defense against infections. It consists of a network of nodes connecting vessels that drain waste products from the body, according to WebMD.
Brody was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma last year and he has also been battling Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory condition of the gut.
He lives in Prince George, B.C., and he’s been receiving treatment at British Columbia Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, about an 8-hour drive away.
However, Randi revealed in their video message that doctors said Brody’s prognosis was good.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Brody. As of writing, the page has raised nearly $20,000 in donations.
This is not the first time that Ryan Reynolds has reached out to fans battling illness. Back in 2017, he reached out from the set of Deadpool 2 to a terminally ill 5-year-old-boy in the U.K.
The latest news comes after Reynolds and his partner, Blake Lively, welcomed their third baby in August 2020.
They also donated $200,000 to Black Lives Matter in June.