AceShowbiz - "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds has helped to lift a young fan's spirits by sending a personalized video message as he battles cancer.

Brody Dery has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and inflammatory bowel condition Crohn's disease, and he and his mother have been finding solace in rewatching Reynolds as the Marvel Comics antihero while the 11-year-old undergoes treatment.

The actor recently heard about Dery's health crisis, and sent along a special message, which has since been shared on Twitter by reporter Caden Fanshaw.

In the footage, Reynolds says, "Brody, it's Ryan Reynolds. I just heard a little bit about your story and I wanted to send you this video and let you know that I'm thinking about you and I'm sending you tons of love and I'm sending you strength, whatever strength I've got."

"Man, you have a ton of people in your life that love you so much. I know you've been going through it, I know it's been a challenge lately, but you know something, Brody? You're just the man for the job."

"So I'm sending you lots of love. I hope I get to meet you in person one of these days and hang in there. OK pal, bye."

Brody's mother, Randi, reveals her boy couldn't be happier with the sweet gesture. She told CTV News, "He keeps saying, 'I feel special - I feel like I'm the movie star.' "

Randi explained that things have been especially hard amid the coronavirus pandemic as their family has to make nine-hour trips to and from Vancouver for Brody's treatments. "He's definitely a trooper. He's a good kid and I'm proud of him. Brody finds the funny in everything. He can see everything on the brighter side," she said of her son.

Randi added, "When we're having a hard day, we love watching 'Deadpool'. The humour of those movies brings out the best of Brody."