A terminally-ill Lord of the Rings fan’s dream came true when director Peter Jackson gave him a surprise message.
20-year-old Chris Bentacourt, from California has been diagnosed with leukaemia and was given just a year to live as of September.
He is currently searching for a bone marrow donor.
Brave Chris and his good friend Dillon Hill are currently ticking off a variety of activities on his bucket list, in order to fundraise for Chris’s dream trip to Europe.
One of the activities included a screening of all three Lord of the Rings films back-to-back, adding up to a lengthy 12 hours.
This sounds like a super fun and personal way to raise money, however little did Chris know the marathon would kick off with a video message from legendary Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.
Chris can be seen looking on with surprise and delight as Jackson delivers the following message:
Hello Chris, this is Peter Jackson, just sending you some well-wishes from New Zealand.
He added:
I’ve never had the courage to watch our three Lord of the Rings movies in one hit.
Visibly moved by the message from his hero, Chris afterwards said:
Lords of the Rings has been a really big thing in my childhood. Both Dillon and I are really big nerds … to see that, that was great, that was really great.
You can watch the emotional moment for yourself below:
Find out more about Chris and Dillon’s fundraising efforts on their website
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.