Vancouver Canucks, TikTok user surprise Surrey father battling cancer
Posted March 13, 2023 1:32 pm.
Last Updated March 13, 2023 3:45 pm.
An act of kindness shown in a viral TikTok video saw a Surrey dad who’s been battling brain cancer get a night to remember with the Vancouver Canucks.
The saga was all part of a video posted by TikTok user @Mdmotivator on Sunday, which has quickly amassed over 16 million views on the platform in just 20 hours.
In the video, the poster, Zachery Dereniowski, approaches a boy and his father in a store. From behind the camera, he’s heard asking the father, David Thiele, if he could have $1 so he could buy a Vancouver Canucks jersey.
“I’m like a dollar short for this shirt for my kid. It’s his birthday today,” Dereniowski is heard saying, as he introduces himself to the boy, named Jayce, who explains his favourite hockey team is the Canucks.
After introductions are made, David pulls out a five-dollar bill, insisting “it’s for your kid” when Dereniowski argues all he needed was $1.
Once he takes the bill, Dereniowski is seen giving it back, saying that he’s actually getting the jersey for Jayce. The poster then ups the ante, saying he’s also giving the father and son $1,000 while passing them a wad of $20 bills.
When he receives the money, David is seen getting emotional, saying “I just finished chemo,” while receiving a hug from the TikTok user. That leads to Dereniowski offering the pair tickets to a Canucks game, where he promises that they can meet the players.
“I don’t even know what’s happening,” David is heard saying in the video.
@mdmotivator “I just finished chemo” ????❤️ #nhl #hockey #surprise #cancer #money #dad #son #family #love #support #canucks #empath
The video then cuts to the father and son interacting with players like Elias Pettersson and Tyler Myers while walking through Rogers Arena.
Thiele dealing with cancer for 12+ years
The whole experience that Thiele had with his son on Saturday was all the more special, given he has been battling brain cancer for over 12 years.
Speaking with CityNews, the Surrey father says he had just completed a year of chemotherapy, adding the whole experience seemingly came out of nowhere.
“I thought I was heading somewhere else, and then we made this quick stop at a Walmart,” Thiele said. “I’ve heard of these things before and I realized I was being social media punked or whatever you want to call it. He asked me what was going on in my life and I told him.”
He says after the interaction inside of a Walmart, he was treated to another surprise.
“We went outside and there was everybody. Old friends and new friends…next thing I know we’re in a Rolls Royce driving down to Vancouver,” he recalled.
Thiele says he’s since learned that Dereniowski was put in touch with the family through a friend. He explained that many of his friends and family were in on the surprise.
“They’ve had this whole thing planned for a couple of months I guess,” he said.
Thiele adds since his latest round of chemo, his doctors have said that his cancer has not grown.
“Life is good,” he said. “Love and kindness go a long way.”
Former med school student spreads joy online
The actions depicted in the viral video are nothing new to Dereniowski.
The TikToker has over 14.6 million followers, with his most popular videos often depicting him giving strangers a unique experience.
He tells CityNews that he began making videos like this 18 months ago when he was battling depression while in medical school in Australia.
“I started making videos to find a friend, and then it just took a life of its own,” he said. “Hopefully, these videos create ripple effects that an individual person could never have the ability to create.”
Dereniowski says he’s since made social media his full-time job and has travelled to 17 countries making content.
For the video with Thiele, he says part of the interaction was a surprise to him too.
“It was overwhelming. I had no idea he had just finished chemo treatment,” Dereniowski said. “It’s beautiful. It’s hard to put words to describe it. They’re really happy and I’m just glad it all worked out.”
@mdmotivator “Everybody dies sometimes” ????❤️ (GoFundMe L1VE) #death #dad #dream #money #food #groceries #support #love
In the comment section of TikTok, many users are expressing their reactions to the video.
“‘He just finished his chemo’ I’m not crying you’re crying,” wrote one user.
Another user wrote: “Chemo therapy can be very expensive. And trying to pay bills while receiving cancer treatments can be impossible.”
“You gave this kid a core memory w (sic) his dad thank you for bringing happiness to his life while his dad goes through chemo,” said a commenter.
In a statement to CityNews, the Canucks say Elias Petterson had a hand in making the surprise happen.
“Zach was in contact with [Pettersson’s] team, and we were then looped in to help facilitate,” the team wrote in an email. “We gifted them tickets and jerseys and hosted them for dinner in our Encore lounge. Post-game they were brought down outside of our locker room for a surprise meet and greet with Petey and a few other players.”
The Canucks ended up winning the game against the Ottawa Senators, 5-2.
