Topics: Wrexham, Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, League Two
A Wrexham player's wife who was given months to live discovered a wrong diagnosis after Ryan Reynolds stepped in to help the family.
The lives of Wrexham midfielder Anthony Forde and his partner Laura Mangan were turned upside down in February 2023, just days after their son Paddy was born.
Laura's left arm seized up at home, so she went for a routine MRI scan, which was also intended to help her discover why she had been having difficulty conceiving.
Soon after, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. In fact, a neurosurgeon said Laura could only have months or a couple of years to live after suggesting the tumour was malignant.
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Speaking more about the situation on a recent episode of the Talking Transitions podcast, Forde said: "We were trying to be as positive as we could until we spoke to the neurosurgeon but then we got the worst news possible."
A few days later, Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds called them on Facetime from the US. He wanted Laura to get a second opinion from one of the leading neurosurgeons in New York.
Amazingly, the second neurosurgeon was more optimistic and following a biopsy, the couple were relieved to find out that the tumour was benign.
The NHS website states that a benign (non-cancerous) brain tumour is a mass of cells that grows relatively slowly in the brain. Non-cancerous brain tumours tend to stay in one place and do not spread.
Forde expressed how grateful he was to the club's owners on his recent podcast appearance. "I just don't think I'd have got that help anywhere else," he said. "They were amazing."
Forde added: "They're genuinely good people who have a good heart and me and my family and friends will always be so grateful."
Laura has also shared her side of the experience while talking to The Sunday Times, revealing that it was "a rollercoaster" of emotions and that she was still in a vulnerable place following the second diagnosis.
"I had just been through the worst seven weeks imaginable with my newborn baby," she said.
"I have PTSD as a result. I am going to counselling. I am not ashamed to say that.
"No word of a lie, I was planning my funeral as I was doing those night feeds. I was crying silently. It was a really low time. A living nightmare."
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney continue to make a difference on their journey with Wrexham, both on and off the pitch.
