The wife of Wrexham footballer Anthony Forde, Laura, received life-changing support from Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and given only months to live.
The devastating news came just days after the birth of their son Paddy in February 2023, plunging the family into despair. In a heart-wrenching interview with the Sunday Times in December that year, Laura recounted the harrowing experience: “The neurologist told us it was inoperable and you have a timeline,” she said.
“We said then we didn’t want to know how long. Paddy was four weeks old and I am being told basically that I may not see my son turn a year old. No word of a lie, I was planning my funeral as I was doing those night feeds.”
Laura added: “I was crying silently. It was a really low time. A living nightmare. It was a very low time. In the first few months after giving birth, a woman is severely all over the place hormonally, not to mind getting this landed on me.”
However, hope arrived when Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds stepped in. After a FaceTime conversation with the couple, he arranged for a second opinion from a top US neurosurgeon, which turned out to be significantly more optimistic about Laura’s prognosis.
Following a biopsy and an agonising six-week wait, Laura and her partner received the relieving news that her tumour was benign, a stark contrast to the initial diagnosis. Laura said: “Emotionally, it was just a roller coaster. I was initially in shock and disbelief. I was in such a vulnerable place that I felt I should be happier about this.
“But 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,” reports Surrey Live.
Despite the change in diagnosis, Laura’s health required close monitoring, and she remained in touch with the neurosurgeon recommended by Reynolds. Laura’s challenging experience also gained the spotlight on Disney+’s docuseries ‘Welcome To Wrexham’.
Despite the potential for media attention, Forde made it clear that the assistance was heartfelt, saying: “They are such normal people and there is not a chance that they would do this for publicity. They don’t need it. I remember saying to Ryan, ‘I can’t thank you enough,’ and he said, ‘People have helped me too.'”
Anthony, meanwhile, parted ways with the Red Dragons on transfer deadline day on Monday after acquiring two promotions since July 2022. Yet, he and his family retain a deep sense of gratitude towards Wrexham co-owner Reynolds for his crucial role in Laura’s medical ordeal.