Robert Iger, Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, has confirmed that they will be able to share “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” before the official release date, with Rowans Hospice patient and his family.
There was a huge campaign on Twitter to make sure a high profile figure at the company see the message, this eventually led to Robert Iger, Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company seeing the message and of course, making it actually happen for the Rowans Hospice patient.
Speaking on behalf of Rowans Hospice, Lisa Davies, Health Care Support Worker, who actually brought the patient’s wish to the attention of the rest of the staff at Rowans, commented: “I am utterly speechless. We cannot thank Disney enough for confirming that they will be able share the film to fulfil our patients wish. We totally appreciate that they have had to move mountains to make this happen!”
She continued by saying: “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.”
Lisa added: “We also want to thank the media for covering the story and totally respecting the privacy of the family.”
UPDATED
Today (Friday 29th November) the screening took place. Rowans Hospice have since said that Disney has created a truly magical moment for the patient and his family today by allowing them to watch “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” before the official release date.
The patient is a huge Star Wars fan whose final wish was to be able to see the last Star Wars movie together with his son. The patient did not think he would make it to the films official release date in December so Disney agreed to let him watch the film with his family on Friday morning.Rowans Hospice have since been in touch saying they've been asked to put this statement out on behalf of the patient.
“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!”
Patients’ wife added:
“We are truly humbled by everyone’s support. What has happened over the past few days has been truly mind-blowing. From a simply conversation, to witnessing the out pouring of generosity has been amazing. The massive Star Wars community has been incredible. The amazing people who have visited, along with the messages and gifts we have received have provided us with an opportunity to talk to our son more about the reality of his Dad’s condition.”
Speaking on behalf of Rowans Hospice, Lisa Davies, Health Care Support Worker, who actually brought the patients wish to the attention of the rest of the staff at Rowans, commented: “I am utterly speechless about what has happened. We cannot thank Disney enough for helping us to fulfil our patients wish, we totally appreciate that they have had to move mountains to make this happen!
"The response from everyone, including the Star Wars community, has been absolutely phenomenal. So a massive thank you to every single person that has shared our post, given their time to help make it happen, given Star Wars themed gifts or travelled and spent time with the family to provide an unforgettable Star Wars experience. We also want to thank the media for covering the story and totally respecting the privacy of the family.”
Marketing Manager Julie Strutt added: “We are so thankful to all of the staff at Disney who have given up special time with their families to offer something special during American Thanksgiving”.
You can find out more about the incredible work Rowans Hospice do in the community at rowanshospice.co.uk. Rowans Hospice Cheif Exec Ruth White joined Darren Gamblen on his midmorning programme, you can listen to that brief chat below.
