A SOUTHAMPTON dad has described the moment he fulfilled his dying wish to meet Hollywood A-lister Ryan Reynolds.
Jay Fear, from Lordshill, and his family travelled to Wrexham to see the team owned by the X-Men film star and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob McElhenney secure promotion to the Football League after a 15-year hiatus.
It was the bucket list wish dreamed up by the 45-year-old when approached by charity Bucket List Wishes via his palliative care nurse.
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Jay, his wife Deb and their children, 18-year-old Jess and Sam, aged 16, spent 20 minutes pitchside at the Racehorse Ground with Reynolds, who gifted him a signed Deadpool glove and an invitation to see filming of the third film in the franchise at Pinewood Studios in a few weeks time before taking their seats to see Wrexham, made famous by the Disneyplus docuseries, take on Boreham Wood.
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Jay told the Daily Echo: "They say never meet your idols, but with him I couldn't recommend it highly enough. He's a good guy. He was so lovely, just the nicest guy.
"I've loved him since the Van Wilder days and Deadpool is my favourite movie in the world. Now we've got a bromance going on and he said he was choked up after meeting me!
"He was so friendly, he gave us all hugs and talked to my kids for ages.
"It's given me something to live for. Not that I didn't have anything to live for before, but it's given me and my wife and kids something so positive. It's something they can look back on in years to come and that's the most important thing for me.
"I wanted it to be about my family, something they could cherish and remember when I'm gone."
Jay, who still works as a business development manager for Air4u, was diagnosed with appendix cancer in October 2021. He underwent major surgery that Christmas to remove all traces of the cancer, but received the devastating news that it had returned and spread to his lungs a year later.
A family friend has organised a fundraiser to help the family make more memories together. Donate at gofundme.com/f/help-the-fear-family-make-final-memories
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