'Deadpool' actor sends inspirational message to injured Lake Wales boy
LAKE WALES (FOX 13) - A video message has given much-needed inspiration to a Lake Wales 11-year-old with a traumatic head injury.
Michael Randazzo was severely injured when a Jeep ran into him as he was walking to a friend's house last year. He cannot walk or talk and is fed through a tube. His recovery is slowly moving forward.
Michael may have lost his physical abilities, but he is still passionate about his favorite Hollywood superhero from the "Deadpool" movie franchise. He's always decked out in Deadpool socks, shorts, and shirts while he works on his recovery.
Now he has a new Deadpool item he'll cherish forever: A video message from Deadpool himself.
After reading Michael's story on social media, Ryan Reynolds, who starred in and produced the Deadpool movies, sent a message.
"Man, you have been through more in your short life than most people have been through in their entire lives," Reynolds says in the video. "I just want you to know that I am thinking about you, that I love you, that Uncle Deadpool loves you. I hope you're hanging in there, pal, and I also hope I get to meet you one of these days. Sounds like you're a very special guy."
It's hard for Michael to express his feelings, or even smile, since he has extremely limited control of his muscles. However, his mom Jesse Sousa told us this: "It made me kinda sad actually because I know how much he would love that."
Reynolds found out about Michael's story because of Sousa's Facebook posts. She recently launched a campaign to sell green shirts to make people more aware of head injuries.
The money raised will go towards buying Michael a device that will follow his eye movements and make communication easier. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/jesse143.