A Wrexham player's wife who was given months to live has discovered a wrong diagnosis after co-owner of the football club Ryan Reynolds stepped in to help the family.
Many were sceptical when movie star Ryan Reynolds and TV actor Rob McElhenney combined forces to buy Wrexham AFC in 2020.
Viewed as a publicity stunt by many, the owners have gone on to shut doubters up after getting promoted to League Two in 2023 following heavy financial investment.
The journey of both the owners and the club since the takeover has been documented on FX series Welcome to Wrexham, following aspects such as the financial decisions made by the owners to the on-field performances of the players.
Advert
Offering a behind-the-scenes look at the players, coaches and fans lives, it has attracted a high following, including those who aren't particularly football fans.
It gives an insight into the characters that make up a football club, and also has surprisingly showed the sheer amount of effort put into the project by Reynolds and McElhenney, who previously weren't even into 'soccer' beforehand.
However, the attention they have given those at the club and fans during their visits are genuine, and have taken a lot of people by surprise.
Anthony Forde has been a Wrexham player since 2022, but took time away from the club in 2023 for what the club says were 'personal problems'.
Advert
However, in Welcome to Wrexham, Forde revealed that his wife Laura had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour shortly after giving birth to their son.
Laura was then given the devastating news that the tumour was inoperable, with it being believed to be terminal at that time.
Speaking more about it on the Talking Transitions podcast, the midfielder revealed: "We were trying to be as positive as we could until we spoke to the neurosurgeon but then we got the worst news possible."
However, days after finding out about the situation, Wrexham Chairman and owner Reynolds reached out, helping Laura get a second opinion.
Advert
Amazingly, the second neurosurgeon was more optimistic and following a biopsy six weeks later, the couple were relieved to find out that the tumour was benign - meaning the tumour wasn't cancerous.
The initial diagnosis of her tumour being terminal was incorrect, meaning Laura wasn't, in fact, facing a terminal illness.
Forde further expressed how grateful he was to the club's owners on Talking Transitions: "Thanks to the owners, I just don't think I'd have got that help anywhere else - they were amazing.
"They're genuinely good people who have a good heart and me and my family and friends will always be so grateful."
Laura also shared her side of the experience talking to The Sunday Times, revealing that it was emotionally 'a rollercoaster', and that she was still in a vulnerable place following the second diagnosis.
Advert
"I had just been through the worst seven weeks imaginable with my newborn baby. I have PTSD as a result. I am going to counselling. I am not ashamed to say that."
She concluded: "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."
It is a prime example of the type of people that Ryan Reynolds and Ryan McElhenney are, as the city of Wrexham have fully taken them in after the things they have done for both the club and the area.
Both seasons of Welcome to Wrexham are available to stream on Disney+ now.
Topics: Football, Health, Rob McElhenney, Ryan Reynolds, Wrexham FC, UK News
Joshua Nair