Deadpool Cosplayer Visits Dying Brain Cancer Patient And Makes The Internet Cry

Aside from attending pop culture events and doing those kickass photoshoots, many cosplayers these days do charity works in between. These awesome heroes (and villains) devote their time and talents to make other people happy – such as by visiting sick children in hospitals.

Recently, one male cosplayer gained a lot of love online after posting a lengthy message on social media, sharing his experience as he visited a terminally-ill child while all-dressed up as popular Marvel character Deadpool.

The visit became a life-changing experience for the cosplayer.

In a viral Facebook post that eventually gained attention from 9GAG and many other sites, Painkiller Cosplay wrote:

“I’ve been debating most of the day whether or not to post this here. I’ve decided to do this to show you all, not just another side of cosplay, but what I decide to do with myself as a cosplayer.

“It was Monday morning when Amy, one of my fundraiser contacts, was frantically leaving messages to call her immediately. So I did. I was barely awake when I called her, and she began to tell me about Tony. An eleven year old boy with brain cancer. His family was planning an event for him Saturday, when he suddenly took a turn for the worse. So badly, they weren’t expecting him to live until Saturday.

“Spider-Man and Deadpool are his favorite characters, and because if my non-profit organization Cosplayers Care, I was being asked to make an appearance. Because of his life expectancy, they wanted us over Tuesday, at 7:30 am. Aaron, my Spider-Man wasn’t available in such short notice. So I made it my mission to go over there. Alone if need be.”

So he went alone to visit the dying boy.

“I work nights. So getting up at 5 am is almost impossible for me. With nerve damage in my spine, and sleep apnea, and anxiety, I don’t sleep well AT ALL, to begin with. So this morning, I got up, on about 4 hours of sleep, and spent more than hour on the road to the family’s apartment, fighting sleep the entire trip there.

“Upon getting there I met with the hospice nurse and the other contacts. We were led into the apartment, and it was immediately clear they didn’t have money. Everything was going into trying to keep Tony alive. I went into his younger sisters room and got changed. I made my way to his bed and tried to make contact.

“It was then I was told by the nurse that he no longer moves or even speaks. He was on a respirator and being fed through a tube. He looked lifeless, and I had to stare at his chest just to see if he was even breathing.”

Surprisingly, the boy opened his eyes – one last time.

“Then for a moment…just a brief moment…his eyes barely opened up, and he looked directly into my eyes. I held him tight, and put my head to his, and I told him how strong he was, and how brave he was.

“He closed his eyes, and I was told it was time to go.

“When I got home, I collapsed on the couch. Physically exhausted from lack of sleep and almost 3 hours on the road. I was also mentally and emotionally drained. I wanted to cry. I couldn’t. I tried to sleep it off. I couldn’t. I called off sick from work, and couldn’t stop thinking about Tony. Watching him die in front of me. How I lied about how “everything will be okay”. And mostly about how fucking unfair it is for a child’s life to be cut so short. Fuck cancer. Seriously, FUCK CANCER.

“This was one of the hardest moments I’ve ever had to work through. I’m still struggling with processing it all.”

May we all hold our loved ones close – and become heroes in our own ways.

“There’s no real point to this story, other than to appreciate your loved ones. But I guess that should be obvious.

“When I started this organization, I always knew there was a possibility of something like this happening. I did it anyway. I felt the importance in this work, I believe in this work, and I will continue to do the work because I feel it’s the right thing to do. Damn the consequences, and any ordeals I must suffer because of it.

“This is the other side of me as a cosplayer. This is part of who I am. I put it out there for you all to see. Think what you want, and judge it anyway you want. I’ve made this post mostly for me. I needed to vent. Thank you all who read this far. Thank you all who stick around. And most of all, thank you all for the continued support. Much love.”

Such an inspiring and heartbreaking story. Personally, I couldn’t help but shed lots of tears.

In case you’re interested to help these real-life heroes out, you can do so by donating over at Cosplayers Care GoFundMe page.