We’re tweeting #ForceForDaniel to help grant a dying man’s ‘Star Wars’ wish
Ever since 32-year-old Daniel Fleetwood was 8 years old, Star Wars has been a huge part of his life. Since childhood, he has dressed up and camped out for Star Wars movies so he could be the very first one to get a ticket. But now, he doesn’t have much time left, and his plea to see the last Star Wars movie has taken the Internet by storm.
The Force Awakens comes out in December 18th — just over six weeks away. But Daniel doesn’t have six weeks. He has a connective tissue cancer called spindle cell carcoma, and his doctor gave him two months to live. . . back in July, four months ago. “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 [to December],” Daniel told Houston’s KPRC-TV.
Daniel is now in hospice care spending as much time as he can with his wife, Ashley. . . and hoping he’ll be able to hang on until December. “It’s a commitment and he still has that commitment, that drive, and that love and I think that it’s a beautiful thing,” Ashley told KPRC-TV. “Even if it’s just a movie. That’s magic for a lot of people.”
Ashley posted about what was going on via her Facebook, and what started as a simple post has since turned into a massive online campaign. Hundreds have been taking to Twitter using the hashtag #ForceForDaniel to spread the word about Daniel’s plight, imploring Disney to grant him his dying wish.
Well, it’s starting to look as though this hashtag campaign just might work. Star Wars actors like Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, and Peter Mayhew have all retweeted tweets about Daniel’s plight. “I can’t wrap my head around it,” Ashley told NBC News. “It’s kind of a good thing, because if there wasn’t this attention, I think I would have a lot more negativity and sadness. And this is at least providing us with something to still be hopeful for when there’s not much else to be hopeful for.”
The couple hasn’t heard back from Disney, and on Monday, they were told that Daniel’s cancer had spread. His lungs are now 90% covered with tumors. “I could kind of see it in his eyes. The spark just went out,” Ashley told NBC. “But then throughout the day, we were just getting phone calls and messages and so much support from people all around the world.”
If you want to help Daniel, tweet using the hashtag #ForceForDaniel to get Disney’s attention and help grant Daniel his dying wish. “I just love Star Wars,” he told KPRC-TV. “With everything I got I love Star Wars. . . I really don’t think that I’m gonna make it.”
(Image via YouTube.)