A Hollywood actor wants to see the legacy of Grace Bowen live on.
Bowen, of Grafton, passed away at the age of nine in 2015 after a battle with cancer.
Wednesday morning, Ryan Reynolds asked Cobourg’s Community Services, Protection and Economic Development Standing Committee to rename a local arena after her.
Reynolds spoke to the committee via Zoom while Grace’s parents Greg and Andrea and her sister Mackenzie attended the meeting in person.
Grace was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer and the same type that afflicted Terry Fox, in April 2014.
She passed away in March 2015.
Reynolds and Canadian hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser met Grace when they were inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame in Toronto in 2014.
She had a profound effect on the Deadpool star.
Reynolds says despite going through so much, she had a wonderful sense of calm and wellbeing that he believes she inherited from her parents.
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“And I remember thinking, you know, I’m a person who’s very much in the public eye and I do a lot of philanthropic work but not experiential, I’m not doing anything. As far as I was concerned I wasn’t doing anything with this platform that I had.”
Meeting Grace changed that.
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“Just from the moment that I met her that night, I said I’m never – as long as I live – if I have a free moment for any kid who’s carrying a bag of rocks around like that, or their parents, I will make time for them. I don’t care where or how, or when.”
Reynolds has been heavily involved with SickKids Hospital, helping to raise millions of dollars for the facility.
Greg says their meeting remains important to this day.
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“Grace meeting Ryan and Hayley in 2014 was hugely impactful for the hospital. We’ve all seen Ryan’s ugly sweater campaign at Christmas. And that all comes from his love for Grace and meeting Grace.”
As part of its 150th anniversary celebrations, the Cobourg Community Centre was chosen to host one of 150 SickKids Birthday Balloon Sculptures in honour of Grace.
The event also featured a free community skate at the Pond Arena at the Community Centre.
Grace loved hockey and played for the Northumberland Wild.
When Reynolds spoke with Grace’s father about the event, he got an idea.
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“Unless it’s named after somebody who’s actually named Pond. Which, I don’t know, maybe it is. It sounds like it might be, it would be pretty beautiful if we were able to rename the arena the Grace Bowen Arena. Or the Grace Bowen Memorial Arena.”
Greg says he and his family are all behind the request.
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“As parents of someone that has lost a child I think I can speak for everyone in our shoes. The biggest fear is that you’ll never hear someone else say their name again. Truly.”
In remembering Grace, Greg says his daughter did everything with passion.
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“And we often can only describe in our household as relentless. And whether it was learning to tie her shoes or taking her first strides on the pond, she was absolutely relentless with everything she did.”
He adds her concern for others was unmatched for a nine-year-old girl.
The request to rename the rink has been sent to staff to compile a report and it will go before regular council on April 30.
All members voted in favour of the motion made by committee member Lucas Cleveland.
In addition to the money Reynolds has helped raise for SickKids, the Grace Bowen Tribute Fund has raised more than $400,000 for Osteosarcoma Research.
