Ryan Reynolds has shared a personal thank you message to a kind-hearted group of Welsh residents who came together to support a local family grieving the passing of their precious seven-year-old son, and for raising funds for charity in the youngster's name. The Hollywood actor and Wrexham AFC co-owner appeared on a big screen at a charity "firewalk" at Wrexham's stadium, The Racecourse Ground, on Friday, May 19 to pay tribute to young Aaron Wharton who sadly died from a rare and aggressive brain tumour last month.
Before his passing, Aaron had loved being a mascot at the stadium and so, in his memory, his loved ones arranged a special firewalk at the stadium - with the aim to raise as much money for Brain Tumour Research as possible.
Addressing the people taking part in the firewalk, who called themselves 'Aaron's Army,' Ryan said: "Thank you for being here to honour Aaron's memory, for all that you've done and all that you're doing and that you continue to do to fund Brain Tumour Research. There's absolutely no reason why somebody like Aaron should not be with us here today, so the work you're doing is incredibly important and hugely impactful to so many people. I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart." You can watch the full video at the top of this article.
Aaron, from Buckley, Flintshire, first started showing signs of ill-health in 2020. Just days after the UK was plunged into its first Covid-19 lockdown, he began going through periods of "frequent vomiting" and was having difficulty with his co-ordination, so his parents took him to hospital. There, an MRI scan found a significant growth on the back of his head.
Aaron was then referred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool for specialist testing and medics confirmed that he, at the age of just four, was living with a Grade Three brain tumour. "They confirmed that Aaron would need an operation," Aaron's mum, Nicola previously told WalesOnline. "Within 48 hours of learning that he had a tumour, he was on the operating table."
Little Aaron underwent a 10-hour surgery to remove the tumour and afterwards, lost the ability to speak, eat, and swallow due to a build-up of fluid on the brain. Throughout the pandemic, he bravely underwent several further rounds of cancer treatment and his family endured multiple prolonged visits to hospital to support him.
"Due to Covid restrictions only one of us could be there with Aaron at any time," Nicola added. "My husband and I were like ships in the night. It was very, very hard."
After a round of proton radiotherapy at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, Aaron was well enough to start school in September, 2020. But sadly, he relapsed in June 2021 and was rushed back to hospital for another 12-hour surgery. A year later, in September 2022, Aaron's family found out his cancer had spread.
"All we wanted was to find a treatment that would keep Aaron alive but there was nothing more that could contend with how aggressive the cancer was," Nicola said. "Even though losing him has been one of the hardest things, as his parents, Lee and I are determined to keep his name and fighting spirit alive."
Nicola, 39, said she was "overwhelmed" by Ryan Reynolds' thoughtful message at the firewalk in memory of her son. "Building up to the event I was so focused on making sure everything went smoothly to honour Aaron," she said. "I was shaking when I heard Ryan say Aaron's name, I was in disbelief. The fact that Ryan echoes and agrees with everything we have set out to do since Aaron's diagnosis is incredible.
"The adrenaline kept us going and although it was extremely hot, it was a fun event. Knowing we were doing this in Aaron's name, felt like he was right beside us walking hand-in-hand."
The firewalk saw participants walk bare-foot over burning embers which reached more than 800 degrees Celsius. As well as many of Aaron's family, friends and neighbours, Wrexham AFC captain Luke Young, who Aaron was a mascot for last November, was also in attendance, having returned from Las Vegas especially to show his support at the event. The Mayor of Buckley, councillor Julia Jones, also attended.
Aaron's Army has raised more than £12,000 for Brain Tumour Research so far, enough to fund four days of research at one of the organisation's Research Centres of Excellence.
A spokesperson for the charity explained that that one in three people know someone affected by a brain tumour. "They kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002," the spokesperson added.
Community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, Mel Tiley added: "To have the backing of a Hollywood actor is fantastic. It’s a huge move in getting brain tumours spoken about. Brain tumours are devastating, and we should not be losing so many people to this disease, particularly children like Aaron with their whole lives ahead of them.
"Nicola and Lee have been incredibly courageous in sharing Aaron’s journey with us. Everyone at the charity was deeply moved after his passing. The firewalk was a fitting tribute to Aaron, who was so full of fight throughout his diagnosis.”
An online fundraising page has been set up to raise further funds for Brain Tumour Research in Aaron's name. The description on the fundraising page says: "On May 19, 2023, myself, and others from 'Aaron's Army' are completing a firewalk, in memory of our beautiful, brave Aaron. On April 9 2023, Aaron lost his three-year battle against a rare, high grade brain tumour, an Ependymoma. He was just seven-years-old.
"Aaron was, and always will be, our golden superhero. His strength and determination will forever be an inspiration to us. His infectious smile and personality was adored by everyone he would meet. We want his legacy to live on, giving hope to others, that one day, a cure might be achieved. And so that no other family has to face the heartbreak that we are.
"I am fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, for our beautiful Aaron, in his memory, as they are the only national charity dedicated to funding long-term, sustainable research in the UK. Please help me fund the fight. Together we will find a cure.
"Devastatingly, brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer… yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. This is unacceptable! To read more about Aaron's journey, please look at his page - https://www.facebook.com/AaronsStoryEpendymoma."
To donate to the online fundraiser, go here.
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