Mark Hamill Backs Petition To Allow Terminally Ill Fan To See ‘Star Wars: Force Awakens’ Early

This is so touching. Daniel Fleetwood, a ‘Star Wars’ superfan who is terminally ill with cancer, is hoping to see the latest installment of the franchise before he passes. Mark Hamill, the original Luke Skywalker, showed his support for Daniel in order for him to get his dying wish.

Famous Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, 64, is taking part in a campaign to help a dying fan of the franchise see Star Wars: The Force Awakens before it hits theaters. Daniel Fleetwood, 32, was given only a couple of months to live in July, and he is afraid he won’t make it to the release of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Dec. 18. After pleading to see the film early on his local news station, Daniel has been joined by Luke Skywalker himself in the fight to see one last installment of his favorite series.

Daniel was tragically diagnosed with a rare form of connective tissue cancer called spindle cell sarcoma this year, and his oncologist gave him only two months to live back in July. Though he has already managed to live longer than that, Daniel is afraid it won’t be long before he passes. As he has devoted nearly 24 years of his life to his Star Wars fanship, one of his biggest concerns about his condition is that he’ll miss the upcoming Force Awakens release. “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…Please do what you can to help me,” he said to his local news station KPRC, hoping that someone from the film’s studio would hear his passionate plea.

Fortunately for Daniel, Mark — who played Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy — caught wind of his sad story and immediately retweeted a message promoting the #ForceForDaniel campaign. Mark will actually be reprising his famous role in the The Force Awakens, so it would almost be full circle for Daniel to witness the film before he passes. Also joining in the campaign is newcomer John Boyega, who will play Finn in The Force Awakens as well as Peter Mayhew, who plays the beloved Chewbacca.

As Daniel eagerly waits to see if his last wish will come true, he is currently in hospice care at home with his wife, Ashley. While Daniel doesn’t think he’ll make it to Dec. 18, he believes he’s still hanging on because of the movie, and Ashley commends his continued passion. “It’s a commitment and he still has that commitment and that drive and that love,” she told KPRC. “Even if it’s just a movie, that’s magic for a lot of people.”

Although the studio nor the film’s director J.J. Abrams has yet to respond to Daniel’s plea, his campaign has spread at a rapid pace thanks to the support Mark, John, and Peter have shown. We can only hope Daniel gets to see the film — we’re certainly joining the Force For Daniel!

HollywoodLifers, join Mark in showing your support for Daniel by using the hashtag #ForceForDaniel on social media.

— Taylor Weatherby