Ashley Fleetwood/Twitter/Disney/LucasFilmsStar Wars legend Mark Hamill is among those backing an online campaign for a terminally ill lifelong fan of the franchise to see the new movie ahead of its December 18 release date.
Daniel Fleetwood, 32, of Texas, is hoping to get an early look at The Force Awakens before it hits cinemas, as he may die before it’s released.
The #ForceforDaniel drive has received substantial backing on social media, with the likes of Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and new franchise star John Boyega all throwing their support behind the bid to get an early screening for cancer sufferer Daniel.
A dying man's wish to see #StarWars The Force Awakens
Help spread the word : #ForceForDanielhttps://t.co/0tA3ET3DdH pic.twitter.com/zbWM7VhvGK— Nerd Fu (@TheNerdFu) October 30, 2015
Daniel, who suffers from a rare connective tissue cancer called spindle cell sarcoma was given just two months to live back in July and, sadly, he’s not sure how much longer he’ll be able to hold on.
Speaking to KPRC-TV, he said:
Judging by how progressive the disease has gotten in the past two months I really don’t think that I’ll be able to make it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3A1Y1Gfe-A
Daniel’s been a huge Star Wars fan since he was around eight-years-old and he’s so obsessed with a galaxy far, far away that he even camped out to see Star Wars III: Revenge Of The Sith 12 years ago.
The hashtag #ForceForDaniel has been trending on Twitter, and Daniel’s wife Ashley wrote in a Facebook post the support they’ve received has been “amazing”.
The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams previously granted a similar wish for a dying fan back in 2013, arranging for a Star Trek fan with terminal cancer to see Star Trek Into Darkness before it was released, so fingers crossed he can do the same again here for Daniel.
