It’s been 10 years since the City of Edmonton came together to give Mable Tooke — who became known as SpiderMable — her wish and a day she would never forget.
The then-six-year-old Tooke, who was battling leukemia, became a fan of Spider-Man comics while in treatment.
Her wish was to one day fight crime alongside the famous Marvel hero. Took was originally diagnosed with cancer at the age of four.
The city devised a plan, and on Sept. 28, 2015, SpiderMable was called into action to save then-Edmonton Oilers captain Andrew Ference.
Her adventure around the city was broadcast nationally, and a following grew from there. With the spotlight, Tooke began fundraising for the Kids With Cancer Society.
“It’s insane to hear that it has been 10 years, because it really does feel like it was such a short time ago, because it was such an impactful moment on my life that still affects me to this day,” said Tooke.
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In 2020, Tooke’s journey premiered in a documentary called SpiderMable — A Real Life Superhero Story. On Saturday, the film was screened at Metro Cinemas to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mable’s Wish Day.
Mable is now 16, in high school, and cancer-free. She says she may have hung up the super suit, but she’ll always connect in some way to SpiderMable.
“She’s more than she would have been if she didn’t have that opportunity, so yes, that was a good thing for her. It came from a bad place, but it had a good result,” said her mom, Lisa Tooke.
The teen’s involvement in the documentary has inspired her to continue fundraising efforts in the fight against cancer, and also to pursue theatre and film to help others find their spotlight.
“I most definitely wouldn’t have gone into theatre, I wouldn’t have been so outgoing if I didn’t have the confidence from SpiderMable,” said Tooke.
“I would not be nearly the same person as I am now.”
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