Daniel Fleetwood's Dying Wish to See Star Wars Early
The Star Wars Fan Who Got to See The Force Awakens Early Has Died
Update:
In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning,
Daniel's wife wrote that he passed away in his sleep. "Daniel put up an amazing fight to the very end. He is now one with God and with the force," she said. "He will always be my idol and my hero." No doubt he was an idol and hero to many others, too.
Original story:
Daniel Fleetwood had one of his final wishes granted last Thursday when he got a sneak peek at the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie. Back in September, the 32-year-old Texas man learned that he had only one to two months left to live due to a rare cancer called spindle cell sarcoma. Daniel has been a Star Wars fan since he was a young boy and was afraid he'd miss the newest film installment, which doesn't come out until Dec. 18. To help him see the film, loved ones started the hashtag #ForceforDaniel in the hopes of getting the attention of Disney and Lucas Films.
#forcefordaniel help my man get his last wish, to see a screening of Star Wars before cancer takes him. @bad_robot pic.twitter.com/XCuYD0KlpY
— Ashley Fleetwood (@pandorashley) October 29, 2015
It quickly went viral, with Star Wars actors Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), John Boyega (Finn in The Force Awakens), and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) retweeting support. In a heartwarming update, Daniel's wife, Ashley Fleetwood, wrote on Facebook that director J.J. Abrams himself called Daniel to say that they would grant his wish. Disney Lucasfilm arrived at the couple's home, where Daniel was able to watch the unedited version of the movie in a private screening.
To all our wonderful supporters, friends, family and awesome strangers: Daniels final dream was just granted!!! Today...
Posted by Ashley Fleetwood on Thursday, November 5, 2015
Hamill, along with dozens of other people, sent their well wishes.
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
Daniel's supporters have also contributed more than $31,000 to his medical costs through his GoFundMe campaign and continue to rally for him with the #ForceForDaniel hashtag.
This isn't the first time something similar has happened — in 2013, J.J. Abrams (The Force Awakens and Star Trek Into Darkness director) let a dying man see Star Trek Into Darkness before it hit theaters and just days before he passed away.
We certainly hope the Force continues to stay with Daniel.
