Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney makes huge donation to girl, 4, with brain tumour

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney makes a huge donation to the Wrexham supporting family of a girl, 4, with an aggressive brain tumour.

The 45-year-old actor took over Wrexham in November 2020 alongside fellow Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds, and has fully embraced English football as the duo aim to help the National League side climb the football pyramid.

But since arriving, they duo have helped raise money for a number of people in the area, and won the hearts of many for donating £10,000 to the family, who are trying to raise a total of £60,000 after Aria Hodgkiss was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma – a terminal and aggressive brain tumour.

The family are hoping to raise the money so that Aria – whose family received the devastating news of her diagnosis on her third birthday in May last year and who later had radiotherapy – can be treated with ONC201, a new cancer drug.

GOFUNDME PAGE SAYS:

On Tuesday 4th May 2021, Aria’s 3rd birthday, her family were given the utterly heart-breaking news that the brain tumour that had been discovered the week before was Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) – a terminal (inoperable and untreatable), aggressive brain tumour. 1% of children make it 5 years with this condition from diagnosis, and the average time is just 9 months.

This page is to raise as much money as possible so Aria can have the ONC201, this is a new cancer drug. Early results in brain cancer clinical trials suggest that this drug can kill cancer cells but not normal cells and may be effective in patients with a specific genetic mutation in their tumor: the H3 K27M mutation. This mutation primarily occurs in tumors that occur in the midline region of the brain (thalamus, pons, spinal cord). About 50-60% of children with high-grade glioma (and 70-90% of children with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas, or DIPG) have the H3 K27M mutation. About 10% of adult gliomas have the H3 K27M mutation. The ONC201 costs a lot. So we need to raise as much as possible.

DIPG is usually only found in children and is in the Pons region of the brain (brain stem). Here, cancerous cells are mixed with the normal healthy cells and therefore due to its delicate location, it is impossible to remove. The only treatment currently available is radiotherapy (which Aria has started) which will solely prolong life by about 6 months. It is not a cure, and sadly currently there is no cure.

Just 40 children a year in the UK are diagnosed with this condition; 40 families too many, but it is therefore a massively underfunded area of research.

I ask, please, no matter how big or small a donation, anything will help this family tremendously. I hope we can help raise awareness of this dreadful condition in the hope that one day, that medical breakthrough will be found.

Thank you for taking the time to read, and thank you for your support

Please donate by using this link, Thank you!

The donation isn’t the first made by McElhenney, who gave £6,000 to a disabled Wrexham fan two years ago, even before his and Reynolds’s takeover of the club had even been completed.

The Hollywood pair also donated £10,000 to the Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Society after the still birth of the baby of Wrexham player Jordan Davies and partner Kelsey Edwards.

Earlier this week, Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively had a clear out in their Hollywood home is going to benefit those living in Wales, thanks to the actor’s surprise donation to a Wrexham business owner’s store

45 year old Rob Clarke was sent a message from the Deadpool star – offering a haul of his DVDs during an office clear out.

It comes after Rob met Reynolds – married to actress Blake Lively – when he visited his Mad4Movies entertainment store in Wrexham, North Wales.

Dad Rob said: “He told me that he and Blake were having a clear out of their office and came across multiple DVD and blu-ray copies of some of their films.

“He proceeded to tell me that they have signed every one of them and are sending them to me.”

Rob is now set to use the gift to raise funds for a blood disorder suffered by his son Charlie called ITP, which is a disorder that have a decrease in platelets which can cause easy bruising, bleeding gums and internal bleeding.

Rob added: “Since they arrived, and with Ryan’s blessing, we have decided that we will use some to raise funds for ITP support, which is a condition our eldest son Charlie lives with.”

Rob is also set to star in the TV series Welcome to Wrexham which follows Reynolds and McElhenney’s footballing journey in the town after the duo visited the entertainment store last year and spoke to Rob’s sons Charlie and Henry.

Rob said: “They signed some DVDs, including a Green Lantern one which Ryan jokingly admitted wasn’t his finest work – he wasn’t afraid to have a laugh at himself.”

Social media users had their say as Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney makes huge donation to a girl, 4, with an aggressive brain tumour…

@sophierussell89: @RMcElhenney 👏🏻👏🏻 amazing 🤩

@BobLAD_21: I love this so much, @RMcElhenney is just a top, top bloke. ❤️🤍

@AllyBrown1503: Top Top owners.

@Wrexhamisdname: What a bloke 👏🔴

@sasajones: Beautiful human.

@craigyjones17: I’m utterly speechless at both Rob and Ryan’s continued generosity to important causes in the Wrexham area – especially with young people. Cynical people may say “Well, they’ve got loads of money”, but just think of the thousands of things they probably get asked to donate to.

@S8wrd: Da iawn Rob….what a gesture 👏 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

@DuanePWilliams: Beautiful and absolutely heartbreaking 💔😢

@CountyKev82: This is pure class

@Scott_Roberts89: What a hero! Absolutely class this is 👏🏼

@NeilotheWelsh: Fair play @RMcElhenney you are a top bloke 👍🏻

@GAndrews18: They’re the best thing that ever happened to this place and it isn’t remotely close ❤️

@stimmo: And this is what twitter fund raising should be about, for a sick child. So glad a 10k donation was made which would cover vulnerable odds and sods going to moaning grifters elsewhere.