Ryan Reynolds pens tribute to late 13-year-old cancer patient Connor McGrath
McGrath was the first fan to see Reynolds' film Deadpool
Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds has penned a touching tribute to Connor McGrath, a 13-year-old cancer patient with roots in Newfoundland and Labrador who lost his battle with leukemia earlier this week.
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Reynolds and McGrath met earlier this year when the Make-A-Wish Foundation brought them together to honour McGrath's wish of seeing Deadpool before its official release.
In a heartfelt note shared on Facebook, Reynolds remembered McGrath as everything Deadpool aspires to be: "balancing pain, fearlessness, love and a filthy (filthy!) sense of humour in one body."
Reynolds said he shared "pages and pages of hilarious texts" with McGrath, who he called Bubba, and that the two communicated frequently in the weeks after they first met.
McGrath's aunt told CBC News that Reynolds and Connor texted almost every day.
"For three straight years, my friend, Connor McGrath drop-kicked cancer," wrote Reynolds in the tribute.
The actor thanked the Make-A-Wish Foundation for giving him the opportunity to meet McGrath, and said he was grateful he got to "orbit Connor's world for a brief time."
"In my wildest dreams, I can't imagine how hard this is for his parents Kim and Gerald - along with his extended family in Newfoundland," he wrote. "See ya down the road, Bubba."
Read the full note below.