If you came across the hashtag #Avengers4Alexander on social media recently, we’ve got an update on the sad story behind it that sparked a massive outpouring of support for a dying 33-year-old Australian man who happens to be a fan of the Avengers movies. In a heartbreaking Reddit post, the man who identified himself as Alexander explained how he’s suffering from liver cancer, mouth cancer and a rare genetic disease that affects bone marrow. He fully expects to die before the official release of Avengers: Endgame in April, and he put out a call asking if anyone can help him get an early screening.
It now looks like that will indeed happen. In a new update to his original Reddit post that’s attracted almost 4,000 comments at the time of this writing, Alexander raves: “We did it Reddit!
Alexander published his original post, which he titled “Dying Before April: My Endgame,” on Reddit on Jan. 5. He was clear-eyed about what little time he had left, and also didn’t try to play up his misfortune with a long, sad description. ‘I’m not a child or anyone with a particularly tragic story,” he wrote. “Just a normal guy.” He went on to explain how he lost his sister a few years ago to the same disease he now has.
He’ll leave behind his girlfriend and an adopted greyhound. “I thought I’d make it to April but my bone marrow is toast.”
The hashtag #Avengers4Alexander quickly exploded on Twitter. Someone got hold of directors Anthony and Joe Russo, and word also got to Thor actor Chris Hemsworth. About that last part, Alexander added a funny update about how Australia is a small place, because it turns out that he knows a guy who knows a guy who’s friendly with Hemsworth.
Alexander has kept up a brave front and has been allowing some humor to shine through. “If I do survive until Endgame,” he said in a recent update to his post, “it’s gonna feel strange because I’ll feel sorta obligated to die :-P”
It’s not exactly correct to say this story has a happy ending, of course. But we can definitely say it’s welcome news to see the internet come together for good, to share a bit of kindness with someone who definitely could use some in spades.
