Daniel Fleetwood has been a “Star Wars” fan since he was 8 or 9 years old. He even made headline news in his hometown newspaper about 12 years ago for camping out for tickets.
In July this year, Daniel’s oncologist gave him only 2 months to live from a rare form of connective tissue cancer called spindle cell sarcoma.
He managed to push past that 2-month mark because he’s hanging on to see the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” movie when it’s officially released next month.
“Judging by how progressive the disease has gotten in the past 2 months,” Daniel says, “I really don’t think that I’ll be able to make it.
On Monday (2nd November), he found out that 90% of his lungs are filled with tumours. Daniel is in hospice care at home now, spending as much time as possible with his wife Ashley and hoping beyond all hope to see “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” before time runs out.
As such, Daniel and his friends and family started a Twitter campaign called #forcefordaniel, which spread like wildfire on the interwebs. It even caught the attention of “Star Wars” stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and John Boyega (Finn), who retweeted the story with the #forcefordaniel hashtag, further boosting the campaign.
Of course, this led to thousands of people around the globe tweeting and sharing the same hashtag, in hopes of Daniel’s wish getting granted.
PEOPLE quoted Daniel as saying, “If I got to see the movie, I might actually die from happiness. Growing up, I would watch the movies over and over and analyse every little detail. I hope I get to see what happens.”
Did he get his final, dying wish?
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According to a TIME story, a Disney spokesperson said that Daniel Fleetwood attended a screening of the film’s unedited version yesterday (Thursday, 5th November). His wife, too, took to her Facebook page to confirm that Daniel’s final dream had just been granted.
Her Facebook update below:
As seen in her Facebook update above, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams even personally called them up to tell Daniel that he was getting his wish granted!
It’s not every day that a “Star Wars” fan gets to watch the final version of a yet-to-be-released “Star Wars” movie. There are no words to describe how happy we are for Daniel.
We’re pretty sure Mark Hamill feels the same :)
I just read this and am elated for Daniel & his family! Thanks to the powers-that-be for making his dream come true. https://t.co/ImiAdyBxf8
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) November 5, 2015
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is scheduled to be released on 18th December 2015.
Sources: PEOPLE, Ashley Fleetwood’s Facebook page, TIME.
