National

Forgiving himself was this superhero's toughest fight

This is a story about a boy and the superheroes he loves.

While that may sound ordinary, it’s not. The boy, Vincent Gentile of Delta Township, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of eye cancer three days after his mother noticed a white glow in his eye while taking his photo. He was 3. It was his first day of preschool.

Vincent’s superheroes aren’t your run-of-the mill kid fantasies either.

In fact, they showed up live for his fifth birthday party. Cosplayers dressed as Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Spider-Man, Robin, Red Hood and the Scarlet Witch attended in full superhero costumes.

TRENDING NOW:

They're all part of a new ;group called the League of Enchantment. The League formed last fall, when several friends who liked to portray Disneyesque princesses joined Smith and others who portray Marvel and D.C. comics superheroes. It just received its nonprofit status.

The group of about 20 adults and teens focuses on helping sick kids and other good causes. Events range from reading at schools to helping with fundraisers.

The group is led by Lansing Batman, portrayed by Shamus Smith, a father of five from Rives Junction.

At Vincent's party, Smith, a slight, fit man in jeans and a leather jacket transformed from mild mannered to imposing and powerful as he put on his professional grade costume. He’s a 5-foot 8-inch Lansing flooring store manager by day, who rises to nearly 6 feet tall when wearing Batman’s cowl and shoe lifts.

As Batman, he rarely smiles because Batman is stoic, watching all that goes on around him.

The League cosplayers, the word that's used for those who play characters and wear costumes, aren’t paid. In fact, they often foot their own expenses for their appearances around the state.

While the League works to inspire joy, the origin of the group is rooted in pain.

In 2015, Smith said he couldn’t sleep and was struggling after an accident in which he hit a preschool boy while driving. He wasn’t at fault as the preschool boy had darted in front of his vehicle. Nonetheless, he was overcome with grief.

This is our very own president of the League. We are very honored to have him be apart of our group. He is one of the...

Posted by The League Of Enchantment on Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Smith started visiting the child in the hospital, wearing a flimsy Halloween Batman costume because the child liked Batman.

Smith, 44, said he already loved cosplay. "With the accident, it gave the things I loved a new purpose. It gave me a reason to put on the suit so he could meet a superhero he liked," he said.

The boy survived, he said, and enjoyed his Batman visits but the family wanted to put the accident behind them so he is no longer in contact.

Later, he worked on a fundraiser for a teen with a terminal illness in Tennessee who also loved Batman. That’s when he connected with a Hollywood stuntman who helped him assemble pieces of his Batman costume from professional costume makers.

He’s modified it, adding his own handmade pieces.

A year ago, he met Brittney Billinghurst, 23, also from Rives Junction. Her inspiration for helping kids by dressing in costumes took off in 2016 when she visited Zack Eagan, a terminally ill boy from Jackson. She dressed as Cat Woman.

Jessicah Zink, Zack's mom, said the face of her dying 6-year-old "lit up" when Cat Woman and her friends walked in and he wiggled in delight.

"The fact that they made him do that, that meant the world to me," she said.

Up until the day he died from a degenerative neuromuscular disease, Zack called Cat Woman his girlfriend, the child's mother recalled.

Vincent, the birthday boy, connected with the cosplayers when he and his family attended several events featuring Lansing Batman.

“He’s become our mascot in a way. He shows up at a lot of our events,” Smith said. “He’s an honorary member of the League.”

Vincent's party was held last weekend at District5 Extreme Air Sports, an indoor trampoline park on Lansing’s west side.

Several other birthday parties were underway in addition to Vincent’s, but his was hard to top. Heads swiveled as a parade of superheroes marched out among dozens of kids jumping on trampolines, climbing walls and frolicking in pits filled with foam cubes.

Birthday parties aren't among the usual events, but this one was special.

At Vincent's party, kids clamored to get their photos taken with their heroes. Katie Whittaker of DeWitt, a 6-foot, 4-inch Capital City Wonder Woman when she's sporting 3-inch heels, was particularly popular.

Whittaker said she was teased about her height as a child and she likes talking to kids about how to deal with bullying. With cosplay, you don't just wear a costume, you become the character, she explains.

Vincent, wearing a lime green T-shirt with a Batman logo, jousted with Spider-Man on a bridge with padded bats (Spider-Man won but lost the rematch). He also walked a tightrope over a pit and joined other kids throwing foam bricks.

You wouldn’t know that the energetic boy, the middle of three children, spent a year as an outpatient at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan. He had five surgeries and six months of chemotherapy.

His left eye was removed and he was fitted with a prosthetic eye. The surgery and chemotherapy have been successful. No problems were found on a recent scan and his mother said the family has reason to hope that he will stay cancer free.

For his birthday, Vincent asked for money instead of gifts so that the League of Enchantment could buy toys and books for kids they visit at Mott, where Vincent was treated. The League members began visiting kids there in January. Vincent's party raised about $400.

Smith (Lansing Batman) said the requests for appearances are starting to multiply from schools and nonprofits that work to prevent suicide and child abuse and fight cancer. They range from a few to a dozen per month.

“We have enough people in the group. Hopefully, we can keep it going," Smith said.

He said it's taking off faster than he thought. "Obviously, there's a huge need for this. People need it," he said.

Christina Gentile, Vincent’s mom, is a fan.

“This is awesome that they do this. This is exactly what a kid needs," she said.

For the League of Enchantment, visit facebook.com/LeagueOfEnchantment.