(CBS News) — Chip Reece was flipping through pages of comic books in his collection when he realized something was missing: a character with Down syndrome.
When Reece found out his son would have the genetic condition, the comic book enthusiast searched for characters his child could connect with some day.
“I looked and I looked,” Reece told CBS News. “I couldn’t find anything.”
His son, Ollie, was born in June 2010. He spent the first seven months of his life undergoing surgeries for two congenital heart defects.
As the dad from Wichita, Kansas, watched his little boy continue to fight, he couldn’t help but think back on famous Marvel superheroes. He was disappointed a character like Ollie didn’t exist.
“There’s Iron Man with heart issues. That’s his whole story,” Reece said. “But I wanted a character my son could physically see as himself. Facial features are a big thing.”
So he started to put his own comic book together — something small, just for family and friends. With help from illustrator Kelly Williams, Reece was able to see his ideas come to life on paper. Together, they created “Metaphase.”
Read more and see video, here.
