It’s a touching, familiar scenario: a young person coping with a grave illness has their wish granted and gets to meet the actors who play their favorite comic book heroes on the big screen. Sometimes, they get to see a new movie before anyone else, and while our hearts are warmed by the photos and stories about it, we tend to forget why they were treated to a special private screening of The Force Awakens or, in this case, Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds has written an incredibly moving tribute to the memory of his friend, 13-year-old Connor McGrath, a Deadpool fan who has sadly lost his battle with cancer.

Reynolds shared his heartfelt remembrance of Connor on his Facebook page yesterday, recounting how the Make-A-Wish foundation brought them together a few years ago and inspired an unlikely friendship. Before Deadpool was complete, Reynolds visited Connor with a rough cut of the film and treated him to a special screening. You can read Reynolds’ full post below:

Connor wasn’t the only Deadpool fan to connect with Reynolds— you may recall the actor’s photos of a memorable set visit from young fan Tony Acevedo, who also had his wish granted by the Make-A-Wish foundation:

It seems that Reynolds and the Deadpool crew were particularly inspired by kids like Connor and Tony, as part of the film’s marketing was geared toward raising cancer awareness. In any case, Reynolds’ remembrance of Connor simultaneously breaks and warms our hearts. If you needed a good cry today, well, there you go.

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