Monday was a spectacular day for the amazing Spider-Mable, but it was just as thrilling for the web-headed six-year-old’s mother, who watched her daughter fight crime with the help of the Children’s Wish Foundation in Edmonton.
Spider-Mable, a.k.a. Mable Tooke, swung into action on Monday, to rescue Edmonton Oilers’ captain Andrew Ference from the clutches of the fishbowl-headed Spider-Man villain, Mysterio. With a costumed “Spider-Man” at her side, the girl who’d been battling leukemia for two years took the fight to a costumed baddie instead, and captured international attention along the way. Spider-Mable’s heroics went viral on Twitter and earned her countless messages of support from the likes of politicians, celebrities, sports stars and Spider-Man himself (at least, his Twitter account).
Go, #SpiderMable! We believe in you! https://t.co/xQFjYOBcZC
— Spider-Man (@SpiderMan) September 28, 2015
It was also a pretty big deal for Spider-Mable’s parents, Lisa and Neil Tooke, who watched strangers band together to give their daughter an unforgettable day.
“The support and how far it went is just incredible,” Lisa Tooke told CTV’s Canada AM on Tuesday.
The family had hoped a few people would come out to cheer for Mable, but the stunt quickly picked up attention on social media. “It just went boom, and all of a sudden we’ve got so many people out there,” Lisa said. “We never thought anything like this would happen. It is amazing.”
Spider-Mable’s father, Neil, said the national support has been overwhelming. “It was fantastic to see all the tweets, to see the news articles,” he told CTV News Channel. “It went national.”
He said the most moving tweet the family received came from feminist blogger Anne Theriault, who praised Spider-Mable for bending gender roles and rescuing a grown man (i.e. Ference) from evil-doers.
#SpiderMable - fighting cancer, breaking down gender roles and rescuing grown men from evil-doers. Literally the hero I've been waiting for.
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) September 28, 2015
Organizers say they were inspired to put on the event after San Francisco hosted a similar caper for Miles Scott, a.k.a. Batkid, in 2013.
Mable often read Spider-Man comics in between her cancer treatments, and often pretends to be the hero at home, her mom said.
“She always sort of imagined herself as one of the crimefighters,” Lisa said.
Lisa says Mable’s cancer treatment is “going super” and she is “just about done.”
But with all the attention she’s been getting, Spider-Mable says there’s only one thing she wants to do next: “Get off the phone.”
