What makes a man human? A young cancer patient reaches out to Dwayne Johnson for inspiration, but what he gets in return is priceless.
—
In today’s world, the hand of uncertainty often rules with an iron fist. It can shake our confidence, cloud our judgement and force our minds to wander down dark, twisted paths. We begin to second guess everything we say and do. With that comes the daunting question of where to place faith—in ourselves as well as what’s possible in order to change the ways of the world.
That’s likely the very moment when fear starts to set in—fear of being perceived the wrong way, fear of watching misguided thoughts turn into misleading actions or fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. It’s all a part of what makes mankind as resilient as it is, whether or not we’re consciously aware of our own strength. That strength can be inward or outward, personal or public, quiet or loud. In Gabriel “Tater” Singleton’s case, it was loud enough to catch the eye and ear of his biggest hero.
The seven-year-old was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of cancer, at the age of three. He’s been fighting to live a normal childhood ever since, and wrote this Facebook post with one request: to meet Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
“The Rock’s bald head made it easier to [deal with my] diagnosis,” Singleton explains in the post—which includes photos of Johnson’s young fan as he progressed through his treatments just last week. His mother, Lulu Singleton, elaborated on her son’s motivation for reaching out to “The Most Electrifying Man in Entertainment”, saying he often feels embarrassed to talk about his bald head because of what the cancer has done to his body.
When Johnson got wind of this mere days later, he responded with a post of his own that reads:
“Tater, not only am I super pumped to meet you, but I’m a big, bald-headed lucky dude to meet you as well. Big man, you’re way stronger than I’ll ever be and you better get ready–because I hug like a bear!”
With that, Johnson extended an invitation for Singleton to come to the set of his latest movie in Atlanta, Georgia—an invitation Gabel has happily accepted. Phots of their meeting have yet to surface on Upworthy.com, where this story was first published earlier this month—or elsewhere. However, Gabriel’s original post has since gone viral with the help of his family, friends and those who have been following his progress since his diagnosis. The rest of social media soon got onboard to help his dream of meeting Dwayne become a reality.
Sources say the post was not intended to call attention to Gabriel’s cancer, but rather focus on his admiration for the longtime WWE wrestler turned Hollywood star. It worked! Beyond all that, however, it’s just refreshing to read a story like this—particularly in the midst of all the shady political drama surrounding the upcoming presidential election.
Society has posed the question, “What is a real man?” time and time again. What’s he supposed to look like? How is he supposed to act? It’s almost a given that the answers to these questions will always vary. It’s a given that there will always be uncertainty in the world, but when facing that uncertainty, perhaps we should take a page out of Dwayne’s book:
“Be you. Be yourself. Whether it’s in entertainment, whether it’s out in public. Whether you’re a celebrity or not, the most powerful thing you can be is yourself.”
—
***
Improve your writing, expand your reach, and monetize your craft.
Join The Good Men Project’s Writers’ Community on Patreon.
We welcome all experience levels.
Learn more on our Patreon page.
***
—
Photo Credit: www.socialnewsdaily.com