I’m not going to lie to you: Star Wars is making me a little weepy today, but this time for non-nostalgia reasons, as Disney CEO Bob Iger has let a dying fan see the final Skywalker film, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, early in a private screening.
The Rowans Hospice in Hampshire, England, reached out to the House of Mouse on Twitter, asking to fulfill the dying man’s wish to see the film with his family before he passed. They said time was not on his side and after Iger saw the social media plea, he quickly and happily acquiesced to the humble request.
On this Thanksgiving, we at @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!
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) November 28, 2019
It’s a really sweet gesture that reminds us all that, even if Disney is now a monopolistic, monolithic media monster, there are still humans running the show who actually seem to care about the little guy. Sometimes. I mean, it made the patient so, so happy. Just look at what he said of the whole situation:
“I just want to say the biggest thank you to everyone that has helped to make this happen. During what is just a horrible situation to be in, you have helped to make some wonderful memories and bring some joy to my family. I am a huge Star Wars fan and what I am going through is completely dire. Then to top it all, I thought I wasn’t going to see the film I have been waiting to see since 1977! I still can’t believe it. The only way I can describe this to you is to say that this must be what it feels like to be told you have won a million pounds!”
I love feel-good stories like this, even if it’s more bittersweet than normal sweet. The man got to share one last, very special moment with his family. That’s all you can really ask for once you’re in a hospice. They really went all out, too, for this poor guy, as seen below:
On Wednesday we threw a Star Wars themed party for the patient and his family. We were joined by Stormtroopers, wookies and droids and a brilliant time was had by all pic.twitter.com/SDAoUDIsXq
— Rowans Hospice (@RowansHospice) November 29, 2019
Are you misty-eyed yet? I sure am, which is making writing this kind of hard! Still, I hope they’re cherishing the time they had together and I hope Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker maybe, in some way, brought them closure.
For the rest of us, we’ll be able to finally lay eyes on the film on December 20th, when it blasts into theaters around the world.
