When I was telling another writer here at UPROXX about this story, I started with “Hockey is the best, and Canada is dumb and great.” Both of these things are very, very true. On Monday, an entire city in Alberta helped create a special day for a little girl fighting cancer.
SpiderMable, AKA Mable Tooke, has been fighting cancer since being diagnosed two years ago with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells.
While in treatment, Mable’s been reading a lot of comic books. Her favorite, by far, are the 1960s-era Spider-Man books because he was the closest hero to being human, her mother said.
Mable also likes that she and her hero share another quality: radioactive blood.
Mable told The Children’s Wish foundation that what she wanted more than anything was to meet the hero she often imagined herself fighting crime with. With some help from the City of Edmonton, their local police force, and the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, Mable’s wish came true.
It all started with an impassioned plea from Sgt. Steve Sharpe of the Edmonton Police Service for help in finding Andrew Ference – captain of the Oilers, and now missing person:
Surprised but undeterred, Mable was on the case! Well, after breakfast, of course:
https://twitter.com/ChildrensWishAB/status/648486591409688576
https://twitter.com/ChildrensWishAB/status/648490418884112384
Suited up and ready to go, SpiderMable made her way to the city hall. A crowd of supporters was waiting, as was Mable’s hero, Spider-Man:
https://twitter.com/ChildrensWishAB/status/648509679002189824
https://twitter.com/ChildrensWishAB/status/648513215303839744
https://twitter.com/YEGMayorOffice/status/648513964100349952
After being granted full access to the city in order to get the job done, Mable left Mayor Iveson’s office to get briefed by the Edmonton police who had pleaded for her help earlier. Also asking for her help? Andrew Ference’s little girls, because this somehow needed to get more adorable:
Help us #SpiderMable @ChildrensWishAB @EdmontonOilers @edmontonpolice pic.twitter.com/7mtVwD29uq
— Krista Ference (@krista_ference) September 28, 2015
SpiderMable was briefed by the police, and set on the trail of the only suspect:
It's official: we're looking for Mysterio! #yeg #SpiderMable pic.twitter.com/5hx47VG6g1
— Edmonton Police (@edmontonpolice) September 28, 2015
#SpiderMable emerges from the Edmonton police station with a photo of the suspect in kidnapping of Oilers captain. pic.twitter.com/F8DXuxlJ1z
— Jana G. Pruden (@jana_pruden) September 28, 2015
From there, SpiderMable headed to West Edmonton Mall where the dastardly Mysterio had been spotted earlier, and in the process stumbled onto another hero in need of her help:
OH NO! What will #SpiderMable do? Can she save Black Cat? #yeg https://t.co/m3wuLbM3GL
— Edmonton Police (@edmontonpolice) September 28, 2015
https://twitter.com/ChildrensWishAB/status/648556095103864832
Oh, yeah, did we mention she TOTALLY HAS A THEME SONG??
SpiderMable, Spider-Man, and the newly-rescued Black Cat made a quick pit stop for pizza, and even got in some superhero training at Galaxyland, the mall’s indoor amusement park. She even made sure to keep reporters abreast of the situation, and reassured them that the city was in good hands:
#SpiderMable talks to the media. #NotVeryScared pic.twitter.com/gK4UKr8ltO
— Jana G. Pruden (@jana_pruden) September 28, 2015
By now everyone was following her adventures in the city using the #SpiderMable hashtag, including our very own Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. Sure, he’s probably a wee bit more accessible than the interns operating President Obama’s twitter account, but man, CANADA AMIRITE?
Canada is rooting for you #SpiderMable! https://t.co/GZO4EZ4Kgk
— Stephen Harper (@stephenharper) September 28, 2015
The search for clues led the trio of superheroes to the Edmonton Zoo, where she received a very important message from some unlikely sources (unlikely because animals can’t talk but literally who cares at this point):
https://twitter.com/ChildrensWishAB/status/648605112722718720
https://twitter.com/ChildrensWishAB/status/648594794722123776
And it worked! SpiderMable was able to track down the evil Mysterio and save the day!
It's Mysterio and @Ferknuckle ! Where is #SpiderMable ? pic.twitter.com/ESUc8NIoul
— Edmonton Police (@edmontonpolice) September 28, 2015
Perfect conclusion! #SpiderMable saved @Ferknuckle and all of #yeg! Now we can take him away. pic.twitter.com/LAXB98uOlQ
— Edmonton Police (@edmontonpolice) September 28, 2015
She saved @Ferknuckle! Thank you, #SpiderMable! 👏 pic.twitter.com/MSWVcghJed
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 28, 2015
#SpiderMable to the rescue! pic.twitter.com/huDoPlP5I4
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 28, 2015
Saved!! Thank you Spidermable! pic.twitter.com/k6zaE4f57d
— Krista Ference (@krista_ference) September 28, 2015
I don’t often get swept up in non-Olympic/non-international hockey-related patriotism, but everything is just so lovely and cheesy and Canadian. Even if you’re not from our silly frozen country, it’s pretty hard to not have your heart completely filled with joy over any and all of this. Andrew Ference, of course, was the happiest after his daring rescue:
As a thank you for saving their captain, The Amazing SpiderMable will get to drop the puck at Tuesday night’s Oiler’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. Maybe while she’s there she can find them a solid defense, AMIRITE?