#ForceForDaniel: A Terminally Ill “Star Wars” Fan’s Dying Wish

Fandom can be a powerful thing – both in the way it can give you something to fight for, and in the way a community can rally around a cause and bring it to light.

“Star Wars” fan Daniel Fleetwood, 32, is terminally ill with a rare connective tissue cancer called spindle cell sarcoma. He was given two months to live in June, which means he likely won’t survive long enough to see “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on December 18. As his dying wish, he’s asking for the chance to see the film early.

“Judging by how progressive the disease has gotten in the past two months, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it [to the movie],” he told Click 2 Houston. “I just love Star Wars. With everything I got, I love Star Wars.

“I really don’t think that I’m gonna make it. Please do what you can. Help me.”

The story has caught on among Star Wars fandom, who started a #ForceForDaniel hashtag on Twitter and are aggressively lobbying the creators of “The Force Awakens” to grant his wish. The campaign has gathered so much attention and media coverage that Mark Hamill who played Luke Skywalker, John Boyega who plays Finn in “The Force Awakens” and Peter “Chewbacca” Mayhew have all chimed in to show their support.

There’s been no response from Disney or J.J. Abrams’ production company Bad Robot so far. A scan of Fleetwood’s lungs on Monday revealed that tumors were nearly covering his lungs, so there’s not much time left.