Due to their serialized format, terrific TV shows can create a real sense of community, sparking our imaginations in ways other mediums simply cannot. The very best, like Apple TV+’s mind-bending dystopian mystery series Severance, can also offer a comforting form of escapism.
Ben Stiller, the show’s primary director and executive producer, was reminded of that fact over X, when a hardcore fan reached out with a seemingly long-shot request:
“Hi @BenStiller! Severance is the best show my husband and I have ever seen,” wrote Emily Powell-Heaton. “I have stage 4 cancer. A great bucket list item to check off would be to meet you and any of the cast and crew from the show. We can fly anywhere. We live near Toronto, Canada. Would this be possible? Thanks for your help!”
Stiller, who has 5.3 million followers on the platform as of this writing, responded on the same day, asking for a DM. While we don’t know the specifics of their conversation, it appears they made plans to meet up in some fashion—potentially even with other people involved in the acclaimed show.
“Thank you so much @BenStiller and team for making my wish come true!” they wrote. “My husband and I are over the moon about meeting you and the many other incredible people who work together to create #Severance! I am so happy.” The filmmaker replied, “Look forward to meeting you xx.”
While social media can be a dark, depressing, divisive place, this connection highlights how it can be harnessed for good. Even the replies to their exchange were disarmingly positive, with strangers praising Stiller’s kind gesture and sending well wishes to Powell-Heaton.
– “What a good guy. Prayers up for you, Emily!”
– “YES!!! Fantastic… when the internet works well it really does. Xx”
– “He is a legend! He’s made such an important dream come true!”
– “You’re the man @BenStiller”
– “Good on you, Ben. Emily, I hope you enjoy all things good and wish you wellness. XO”
After the interaction with Stiller went viral, Powell-Heaton reposted an article about the news, writing, “He is a legend! He’s made such an important dream come true!”
Powell-Heaton, who, according to their X profile, is 34 and has metastatic breast cancer, shared a health update shortly after the interaction with Stiller: “The spinal surgery is a go. No date set up yet but it’s likely to be in April. The spinal surgeon has to consult with some ENT specialists and I have to get a [CT] scan done on my face and neck area. This will determine if the surgery will be done from the back of the spinal cord or the front. A metal cage will be placed around the crumbling part of my spine to strengthen it.”
Metastatic breast cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is a cancer “that’s spread from your breast to other areas of your body.” The article states that there is no cure, “but thanks to newer treatments, more people with metastatic breast cancer are living longer than ever before.”
In a study published in February 2025 in Cancer Causes & Control, researchers from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health analyzed data from all 50 U.S. states, concluding that breast cancer cases are increasing for women under 40. “From 2001 to 2020, breast cancer incidence in women under 40 increased by more than 0.50 percent per year in 21 states, while remaining stable or decreasing in the other states,” according to a news release about the study. “Incidence was 32 percent higher in the five states with the highest rates compared to the five states with the lowest rates.”
Rebecca Kehm, PhD, the study’s co-author and an assistant professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School, wrote that these increases are “alarming” and cannot be solely explained by genetic factors or changes in screening practices.
This article originally appeared earlier this year.
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