Terminally Ill Star Wars Fan Watches Rogue One Just Days Before Death
A terminally illStar Wars fan saw his final wish come true when he got an early screening of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story just days before his death.
Neil Hanvey, who died on Monday at the age of 36 after a three-year battle with cancer, watched the film on Saturday from his hospital bed at St. Michael's Hospice in Herefordshire, England.
"On behalf of Neil Hanvey, his wife Andrea and all his family, we want to thank everyone who supported the #RogueOneWish campaign," St Michael's Hospice wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. "The director of Rogue One, Gareth Edwards did all he could to make Saturday a very special day for Neil. Neil, his family and everyone at St Michael's Hospice would like to say thank you to Disney, Lucasfilm and especially Gareth Edwards."
Hanvey's wish was fulfilled after his family and hospice workers started a social media campaign urging filmmakers to allow him to watch an early version of the film after he was given only eight months to live. With Rogue One set for release on Dec. 16, those close to Hanvey feared he would not have a chance to see the film before his condition deteriorated.
After the hashtag #RogueOneWish started trending, actors, including Star Wars veteran Mark Hamill, showed their support for the movement.
VIDEO: First Look at Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Wars: Rogue One" data-ad-channel="peoplenow" data-ad-subchannel="peoplenownews" data-auto-play="no">
On Tuesday, Hanvey's wife thanked those who supported her husband in his final days.
"On behalf of all our family we would like to thank everyone who has passed on their condolences following Neil's death last night," she said in a statement to St Michael's. "We would also like to thank the tens of thousands of people who supported the #RogueOneWish campaign."
"All the messages of love during the past week have given us a great deal of comfort during a very difficult time."
