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The staff at a hospice came together to grant a patient a simple last wish. The wish was to watch the last installment of the latest Star Wars saga. They appealed for help to arrange an advanced viewing of the film for a dying fan. And have spoken of their gratitude after Disney allowed the screening to happen.
The Rowans Hospice near Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, reached out on Twitter for help for their patient.
The final installment of the nine-part saga – The Rise Of Skywalker – is due for release in UK cinemas on December 19, but time is of the essence for the patient. So, they were determined to pull a few strings.
“Can you help? We have a patient who's a HUGE #StarWars fan. Sadly, time is not on his side for the 20th Dec," the hospice tweeted.
Goodness, what a week! We were going to share this news with you tomorrow but it looks like the cat is out of the b… https://t.co/PjbfruBIpb— Rowans Hospice (@Rowans Hospice) 1574969263.0
“His wish is to see the final Star Wars film #RiseOfSkywalker with his young son. If you know ANYBODY who might be able to make it happen, please share with them. Thank you."
Social media users offered help, suggesting email addresses and Twitter handles to get in touch with, before Luke Skywalker himself responded.
“Contact @Disney. They are the only ones who can make this happen. Good luck!" Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker originally, tweeted.
@RowansHospice @jjabrams @ChelseaHamill @WarwickADavis Contact @Disney. They are the only ones who can make this happen. Good luck!— Mark HoHoHoHamill (@Mark HoHoHoHamill) 1574798468.0
Walt Disney company chief executive Robert Iger got in touch the next day, replying: “Please provide me with the necessary details and we will certainly try."
A few days later the screening took place.
“On this Thanksgiving, we @Disney are grateful to be able to share #TheRiseOfSkywalker with a patient and his family @RowansHospice. May the force be with you and with us all!" he posted.
The Rowans Hospice posted a picture of a Disney representative on that day. His job was to deliver the laptop with the movie. And, the screening seemed to be a success.
This morning, a very nice man named Jonathan from Disney turned up at our Hospice with a laptop that had a very imp… https://t.co/EHf3hefssi— Rowans Hospice (@Rowans Hospice) 1575044182.0
“I am utterly speechless. We cannot thank Disney enough for confirming that they will be able share the film to fulfill our patient's wish," Lisa Davies, the healthcare support worker who brought the patient's wish to the attention of the rest of the staff at Rowans, said.
On this Thanksgiving, we at @Disney are grateful to be able to share #TheRiseOfSkywalker with a patient and his fam… https://t.co/Gpn43HYhma— Robert Iger (@Robert Iger) 1574962119.0
“We totally appreciate that they have had to move mountains to make this happen," she continued. “The response from everyone, including the Star Wars community, has been absolutely phenomenal over the last few days. So a massive thank you to every single person that has shared our post and given their time to help make this possible."
They even threw a Star Wars-themed party.
On Wednesday we threw a Star Wars themed party for the patient and his family. We were joined by Stormtroopers, woo… https://t.co/LaVxZxrKZj— Rowans Hospice (@Rowans Hospice) 1575045019.0
The success of the appeal was welcomed by many people on Twitter, including Michael Eisner – the owner of Portsmouth FC who is a former Disney chief executive.
“Very happy to see that this is happening! The whole community of Portsmouth on the south coast of England appreciates what @Disney has done," he posted.