Dying Wrexham fan gets dream meeting with Ryan Reynolds
The Hollywood star has invited Jay Fear to the filming of his next Deadpool movie
Last updated 24th Apr 2023
A Wrexham fan from Southampton who has terminal cancer has described meeting the club's co-owner, Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds, as a 'dream come true'.
Jay Fear was able to fulfil his wish to meet the Deadpool actor at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday (April 22nd).
It was as the Welsh side secured the National League title with a 3-1 victory over Boreham Wood - marking a return to the Football League after a 15-year absence.
The 45-year-old, who was diagnosed with terminal appendix cancer in January, became a fan of the team through their Disney+ series 'Welcome to Wrexham', which centres around Wrexham's takeover by Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney.
In a video message sent to Jay after hearing of his condition, Ryan told Jay that he was 'thinking about him'.
"I know that words are probably way too clumsy to express what it is that you are going through but I just want you to know that I'm in your corner and I hope that I get to meet you in person one of these days. And I'm sending you tonnes of love Jay."
During the visit with Jay and his family, Ryan presented the family with a glove from the Deadpool movie.
He's also arranged for Jay to visit the set of the third Deadpool movie at Pinewood Studios in London later this year, ahead of its release in November 2024.
Speaking afterwards, Jay, who works in Arundel, described what happened as an 'incredible experience'.
"He was very huggy, he was quite a nice, lovely huggy sort of guy.
"The first thing he did, he had a glove on his hand, a Deadpool glove, and he said, 'this is one I had during the filming of Deadpool 2, I want you to have it'.
"It wasn't like a standard 'nice to meet you', it was a proper full-on bear hug with a lot behind it. He didn't just chat with me, he grabbed my kids and said 'let's have a photo with you guys', we had loads of photos done, a good chat, it was lovely."
The charity Bucket List Wishes, which helped arrange the meeting, said:
"This wish is the hardest, took the most amount of volunteer hours and cost the most in almost ten years of us granting wishes."