This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Hawkeye wasn't going to give up on McKenzie Reese.
"Avengers" actor Jeremy Renner had a line of fans eager to take their pictures with him at the Comicpalooza convention in Houston. But shy McKenzie, sitting in her mother's arms, had the eagle-eyed Avenger's attention. As he'd fought for humanity on the big screen, Hawkeye fought for a smile from the 1-year-old.
The Reeses (comic-con enthusiasts who live in Paris, Texas) know conventions sometimes hurry people through the photo sessions with the bigger-name stars. But with Renner, time slowed for McKenzie.
Even so, the photographer snapped the group picture — Renner, McKenzie, her parents and her older brother — without a grin from the girl. But then the Reeses turned to leave.
"We were walking out and she finally turned and gave him a smile," her father, Mike Reese, recalled. "And I remember him pumping his fist, like, 'Yes!' and [was] all excited."
That was last April, and to say that the Reeses' lives have been tumultuous since would be an enormous understatement. Two months after the super-heroic photograph, they found out McKenzie was sick. Very sick.
But that little victory stands out in their memories. And this Saturday, the super girl and Hawkeye will meet again.
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A very rare form • Aside from the usual fussiness you'd expect in a toddler, McKenzie's always been a fun-loving, giggly and happy little girl, her family wrote on Facebook. She's "a girly girl, who loves her family, especially playing with her older brother."
But after some abnormal fussiness — and a noticeably rigid abdomen — last June, McKenzie's parents took her to the hospital. The doctors ran tests and told the Reeses they would call with the results.
On June 12, the day before McKenzie's second birthday, they did get a call. But the doctor wanted to speak to them in person, not over the phone.
McKenzie had a massive tumor in her liver. It was neuroblastoma, a very rare form of cancer.
Over the next 24 hours, McKenzie braved a lot of tests to figure out the best course of action. Mike and his wife, Camille, knew it wouldn't be an easy road for any of them, but they were determined to fight. They would "kick cancer's butt!"
Fight they did. Her friends and family rallied for her. The Reeses set up an online fundraiser through GoFundMe, raising more than $35,000 for McKenzie's treatments.
As she fought, McKenzie even had backup from Hawkeye's ally, Captain America. When Mike Reese and his son took a quick trip to Salt Lake Comic Con last September, "Captain America" actor Chris Evans, appearing at the show, wrote McKenzie a note on a poster: "Hey cancer — on your left!! Kick it, Kenzie!! Lots of love."
McKenzie couldn't be around large crowds like those of a comic con, having just finished a round of treatment, but "even when she wasn't there, people [like Evans] were still showing her love," Mike Reese said.
In November, when McKenzie was about to undergo surgery, Reese tweeted at Renner with a picture of his smiling daughter, Hawkeye's "youngest fan." Renner replied, telling McKenzie he was sending "the biggest squeeze [and] kiss to you brave angel!"
But despite the treatments, the cancer spread. It reached her lungs, her bone marrow, her brain.
On March 9, the doctors made it official: McKenzie was terminal.
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While she's still well enough • "Sweet Kenzie will do some treatment that can help her live a bit longer," Michael Reese's brother wrote on the fundraiser page, "but the doctors told them she probably has a few good weeks in her before this really overtakes her body."
Her family is finding strength in their faith.
"Knowing that we can be together as a family for time and eternity is probably the only thing that takes the major sting out of this," Mike Reese said. "We can definitely feel the sustaining power of people's prayers and the love that they've had for us, where it's really helped us through what could be … really dark times."
Since the dire news, her family's been trying to squeeze in as much living as they can for her. They quickly decided to take her back to one of the places she was happiest: Walt Disney World. Last week, at the most magical place on Earth, McKenzie's face lit up meeting Ariel, Beast, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy — and in particular, Hans and Kristoff from "Frozen."
This week, they'll see Camille Reese's side of the family in Idaho. And on Saturday, they have a special guest to meet in Salt Lake City: the superhero who won her smile almost a year ago.
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'MY SUPERHERO' • Renner was recently announced as a visiting celebrity at FanX, the springtime sister event to Salt Lake Comic Con that takes place this weekend at the Salt Palace Convention Center. When Mike Reese heard, he bought tickets for his family in the hopes of a reunion.
The Reeses aren't alone in wanting to see it happen. McKenzie found a tidal wave of support on social media.
"We posted something today [about hoping to reunite] and were surprised," Mike Reese said Sunday night. "I guess so many other fans started retweeting and putting it out there that he responded back."
That he did. Renner replied that this Saturday can't come fast enough and that he'll "scoop her up," calling McKenzie in no uncertain terms: "MY SUPERHERO."
The convention's organizers also are "trying to work out something special where Kenzie can kind of get away from the crowds" for a private meeting, Mike Reese said.
McKenzie's father feels immense gratitude toward Renner and the event's organizers for this.
Renner's graciousness is in line with the superhero he plays for Marvel. His version of Hawkeye, unique among the Avengers, is a family man with a wife and three young children. He goes to great lengths to protect them from the crazy, dangerous world of monsters, aliens and genocidal robots — despite being only a man with a weapon from the Paleolithic era.
Hawkeye is a mortal challenged by the impossible. But he musters the courage, as he says in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," to "go out there anyway."
One can see how Hawkeye and McKenzie might relate.
Twitter: @MikeyPanda —
Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience 2016
When • Thursday-Saturday; Jeremy Renner's spotlight panel is Saturday at noon
Where • Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 W. West Temple, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $5-$230 for wristbands, some events require an extra ticket; saltlakecomiccon.com/fanx-2016-tickets; for a full schedule see saltlakecomiccon.com/fanx-2016-schedule