By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
At Wednesday’s meeting of Cobourg council’s Community Services, Protection and Economic Development Standing Committee, Ryan Reynolds became possibly the most famous person ever to make a request.
Also in attendance was the family of the late Grace Bowen – parents Greg and Andrea and sister Mackenzie – which was the actual reason for the star’s appearance by Zoom.
Reynolds led off by saying that meeting Grace had changed his life.
They met at a Canada’s Walk of Fame ceremony when Grace was 10 and shared the stage with hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser, who was getting her star. Asked who she was most excited about meeting, she said Ryan Reynolds.
Reynolds was in the audience, and popped out of his seat to go onstage and give her a hug.
Hayley Wickenheiser noted that Grace had returned to the ice after her leg amputation. Praising the little girl’s resilience, she declared, “You are my hero”
“I was really taken by Grace – her name said it all,” Reynolds recalled for council.
Though she was going through so much, her sense of calm and well-being impressed him immediately.
“I could see in her parents’ eyes what they were going through, and it occurred to me Grace had experienced her sense of well being and sense of calm because her parents had given it to her and they didn’t have much left for themselves.”
Though he was fully aware of what he called “this platform I have” for philanthropic work, meeting Grace made him resolve to use it to its fullest
“If I have a free moment for any kid who’s carrying a load of rocks around like that, or their parents, I will make time for them,” he declared.
“I have been working with Sick Kids Foundation in Toronto forever and I think a version of that in the UK and a version of that in the US.”
Being in the limelight can be a struggle, Reynolds said,
“I really find it grounding to share that fame, if that makes any sense, share it with kids, share it with somebody who I can help.”
He came to his request by relating a recent conversation with Grace’s dad about last weekend’s Hospital for Sick Children ceremony at the Cobourg Community Centre to offer free skating and host a visiting balloon sculpture sent to communities where significant events in this hospital’s 150-year history have occurred.
“He mentioned the Pond Arena, where they had their 150th birthday, which I think is beautiful timing for something like this. That was Grace’s temple, her church, her everything. Hockey was her life.
“Unless it’s named for somebody who is named Pond, it sounds like it could be pretty beautiful if we were able to rename the arena the Grace Bowen Arena or the Grace Bowen Memorial Arena. That’s my case,” he said.
Grace’s father recalled her diagnosis of osteosarcoma in 2014, the same cancer Terry Fox had, sharing “her journey and the way she handled herself through her treatments, how she cared about others at the hospital.”
The family took her for treatments weekly, horrific ordeals for Grace and agonizing waits for them.
“The only thing she could think about was the other new families coming in,” Bowen said.
“She could pick them out in an instant. Her concern for others was unmatched for a nine-year-old girl.”
As a parent who has lost a child, he continued, “your biggest fear is you will never hear someone else say their name again.”
Though the family is from Grafton, Bowen grew up in Cobourg’s west end and was a junior hockey player himself.
“Grace was a staple in our community, she loved everything she did, she did everything she did with passion. We can only describe her in our household as relentless, whether it was learning to tie her shoes or taking her first strides on the Pond.”
The Sick Kids balloon event was an acknowledgment – they have selected 150 significant moments from their 150 years and acknowledged them. And the support she got from Reynolds and Wickenheiser had proven, Bowen said, “hugely impactful for the hospital.”
It also gave a profile to the family’s own foundation, which has raised $400,000 for cancer research.
Then there are the other people Grace touched, like the local paramedic who transported her to Sick Kids when an emergency developed with her leg. That young woman is now a mother herself, and she took the time to greet the family at Sunday’s event and tell them how Grace had changed her life.
“I coach in this arena, still coach local high-school teams and future champions,” Bowen said.
“I would love to say they play at 3 o’clock in the Grace Bowen Arena – to say the West Northumberland Wild play there and see schedules for home games with her name across the province, which would be incredibly meaningful for us.”
Committee chair Adam Bureau acknowledged the “remarkable impact” Grace had in so short a time, declaring it “a testament to her character. She not only touched the community but her perseverance and genuine positivity through her fight continue to serve as an inspirational anthem for every child who walks through the doors at Sick Kids.”
Reynolds agreed that her example “has improved the lives of, I think it’s safe to say, thousands of children. She was a very special individual – boy, did she change my life, and I am grateful for it.
“I hope I can come to Cobourg and be some part of this. I would love to be some part of this at some point.”
Bowen expanded on that thought.
“I know Ms. Wickenheiser would like to come to town and, when Justin Williams takes a stroll thorough, he will be pretty proud to see it as well.”
Committee member Lucas Cleveland made to motion to ask staff for a report back on the request. The vote was taken, and Bureau declared it “100% carried.”
