Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling urge fans to donate to boy's cancer fundraiser

Hollywood stars Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling have called on fans to donate to a young boy's cancer fund to help his family cover the costs of his treatment.

The Hitch beauty was so moved by Andrew Wilson Wratten's battle with Neuroblastoma cancer, a rare type of childhood cancer, she decided to rally fans on Instagram.com on Wednesday (20May15) by sharing a photo of the toddler and details about his health crisis.

In the accompanying caption, she wrote, "This little guy, Andrew Wilson Wratten, is full of smiles, a ball of energy and VERY special to me. He has been undergoing treatment for neuroblastoma cancer. His family has spent the last year going through every parent's worst nightmare as they watch their little boy endure grueling treatment and they need our help. Please consider making a donation."

She followed that post up by uploading a snap of herself wearing a T-shirt in the boy's honour, which she plans to autograph and give away to one lucky follower.

She explains, "This is my first selfie and it's for an amazing cause! Thank you all so much for helping support Andrew Wilson and his family. Please, please donate - any bit helps! I'm going to sign this tshirt (sic) and give it away to one person who makes a donation within the next 48 hours. Click the link in my bio to donate. Together let's help this family get their son the proper treatment that he needs."

Mendes' charity push inspired Gosling to tweet about Wratten on Thursday (21May15), when he encouraged his 1.92 million followers to donate to a good cause.

Sharing a link to a fundraiser on the talbertfamilyfoundation.org's website, he tweeted, "My little buddy Andrew is pretty sick. Let's help him ok?!"

Last September (14), the couple was given a new reason to tackle children's issues after becoming first-time parents to daughter Esmeralda Amada.