Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, famous for his role in the "Deadpool" franchise, raised $13,500 in funding for a 13-year-old girl who is fighting against a rare and aggressive form of heart cancer.
The young girl, Lexi Collins, was diagnosed in June and has already undergone two separate open-heart surgeries. She also had a pacemaker fitted and is now receiving intensive chemotherapy.
A Rare Form of Heart Cancer
The 13-year-old has a dream of visiting New York City this Christmas, which is now closer to becoming reality thanks to the recent support from the community. The initial fundraiser for Lexi was set up by her family and supported by Wrexham Police PC.
The latter also launched its own GoFundMe page to help the teenage girl's dream trip come true. Now, with Reynolds' generous $13,500 donation, the original target of $27,000 has already been reached.
In a social media post, Wrexham Police FC shared the news with excitement, expressing its gratitude to Reynolds for once again showing his "incredible generosity." It added that because of the latest donation, Lexi can go to New York City when she starts feeling well enough to travel, according to MSN.
On top of the Canadian actor's financial contribution, there was a separate GoFundMe page that was set up by Lexi's family that aimed to raise enough money to cover the costs of potential overseas treatment, travel, and medical expenses related to her cancer battle.
So far, the largest donation is $6,700 by Ethan Payne, who is known as Behzinga, a well-known YouTube star and member of the Sidemen. While it is still unconfirmed, the donation is believed to have come from him, as he had previously shared links to the teenage girl's fundraiser on his social media platforms.
Supporting the Teenage Girl's Dream
The teenage girl's mother, Becky Collins, said that her daughter had initially gone to the hospital for a headache and fever that they could not control. Then, doctors found a mass on her heart, and a biopsy found that the tumor was malignant, BBC reported.
In a statement, Becky said that the past few months were a "whirlwind of hospital stays, fear, and uncertainty." She added that her daughter was a huge "Home Alone" fan and wanted to see the famous Christmas tree at New York City's Rockefeller Center that the movie's lead visited.
Lexi's story comes after Reynolds previously thanked an Essex charity for its help supporting a teenage Wrexham fan who had tragically died of cancer. The teenager was Aiden Waller, who lost his life earlier this year after initially being diagnosed with a rare bone cancer in 2022, as per the Sidmouth Herald.
