By MICHAEL COLLINS
Columnist
And the ‘Best Father Ever’ award goes to … Mike Wilson.
That’s right, I am putting aside my strong editor’s scowl to bring some light-hearted, “fuzzy warm feeling” kind of news. A clip of dad and parkour enthusiast Wilson, dressed up like the Marvel comic icon Spider-Man (who by the way, is my favorite superhero of all time) for his terminally ill son’s birthday party has been crawling all over the web (pun definitely intended) recently.
Wilson dressed as the “web-slinger” to surprise his 5-year-old son Jaden, who is currently battling a Grade 4 brain stem tumor. Such a tumor is extremely severe and gives Jaden only a year to live. But this isn’t a story of a child to be taken far too young, no; this is a story of a father who went the extra mile to make his son’s birthday extra special.
In the video, Wilson acrobatically leaped from the roof of his home into the drive way in front of his son for a pretty dramatic entrance. After a hug, the super hero scooped up Jaden in his arms and took him back inside, where they presumably swapped tips on how to defeat the Green Goblin. If that video doesn’t tug on your heartstrings, I’m not sure you’re human.
In a quote Wilson said he is upbeat about his son’s diagnosis.
“Today he is still with us fighting it all the way, but at least he has Spider-Man to take care of him,” said Wilson.
This story serves as a call to action for all who care about the joy of young children. According to curesearch.org, cancer is the leading cause of child death among all diseases, accounting for 58 percent of all fatalities. Even as the cure rate continues to improve, the incidence of childhood cancer has been steadily increasing over the last few decades, from about 13 children per 100,000 in 1975 to over 19 children per 100,000 estimated for this year.
Children are our future, but it’s those kids with little hope of their own future that need our attention. Take the initiative to make a sick child’s day better. Suit up like Mike Wilson and donate your time as a real hero, or donate to the research for finding a cure.
It may be just in my opinion, but I believe that hope is the best way that news can change the world.