Football star rushes to comfort young fan battling cancer after Facebook post

Not all heroes wear capes, indeed.
 By 
Johnny Lieu
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Here's something that will warm the coldest of hearts.

Mahalia Murphy from Sydney, Australia, posted an urgent request on Facebook Tuesday for her terminally ill friend. And just like Batman, one of her friend's saw the signal and responded instantly.

Kia Lettice, who has been fighting cancer, had "roughly four hours to live," according to Murphy's post. All Lettice wanted is for Australian rugby league player Greg Inglis or former player Beau Ryan to come and see her in order to "boost" her up.

Within half an hour of the post, Ryan answered the call despite being 120 kilometres (74 miles) away.

"Leaving Shellharbour now! See you in two hours. Tell her to stay strong," he commented on the post.

Just after 10 p.m., Ryan was photographed next to Lettice and her best buddy Murphy posted it to her Facebook page.

"Thanks to everyone for making this special moment happen. Beau Ryan you are a true legend man. Can't thank you enough for this moment," Murphy wrote.

Ryan even shared a photo of him giving Lettice a kiss on the head on his own page, captioned by a single love heart.

He told Mashable he was visiting his parents and sister when he saw the message put out by Murphy.

"She had not long to live and wanted to see me. Anyone would do the same thing if they were in my shoes," Ryan said.

"I would like people to be kind to other people."

The impromptu visit clearly made a difference to Lettice. "The energy she gained from his presence was amazing! Beau Ryan is a legend! After four hours notice he made it," Murphy wrote on Facebook.

The response on Twitter from colleagues and the public was equally as heartwarming.

Not all heroes wear capes, indeed.

UPDATE: Dec. 7, 2016, 5:50 p.m. AEDT Added comments from Beau Ryan.

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Johnny Lieu

Mashable Australia's Web Culture Reporter.Reach out to me on Twitter at @Johnny_Lieu or via email at jlieu [at] mashable.com

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