A young boy waiting for a new heart received the life-changing news that a donor had been found for him via the medium of Wookiee, as his doctor delivered on a promise to dress up as Star Wars' Chewbacca once a replacement organ had been found. Thanks to a combination of the incredibly enduring appeal of Star Wars and the current procession of Disney-produced movies such as The Last Jedi and Solo, the popularity of the franchise is as high as ever, even with those who were yet to be born when the prequel trilogy began, like 15 year old Austin Eggleston.
Austin was born with congenital heart defects and, consequently, required a replacement organ. He had been waiting for his new heart since November last year. Despite improvements in medical practices and a concerted effort to increase organ donation, there remains a considerable gap between the amount of people requiring a replacement organ and the number of donors. It is estimated that someone is added to the U.S. transplant waiting list every ten minutes and in 2016, an average of 20 people per day died while waiting for a transplant.
Related: Star Wars Theme Park Planet Will Be Introduced In New Novel
As such, receiving the news that a new organ has been found is surely a very joyous moment but Austin's doctor had promised to deliver the announcement with a twist. Dr. Thrush at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago (via AJ+) had told his young patient that when a new heart was found, he would dress up as Chewbacca from the Star Wars movies. Dr. Thrush kept his word, and on March 17th, arrived at Austin's room in full Wookiee gear complete with vocal effects. Austin immediately realized the implication of his Doctor's strange appearance and was understandably elated, uttering the brilliant line "Holy Balls!" According to the video below, Austin is recovering well.
A boy needing a heart replacement got some good news from Chewbacca. pic.twitter.com/yZ4VIspQea— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 21, 2018
Although the world of Star Wars plays but a minor role in this uplifting story, the video serves as a reminder of how its classic characters transcend their cinematic origins to become symbols of hope, happiness and joy to people of all ages across the globe. The friendly, loyal Chewbacca in particular is an instantly recognizable figure from the Star Wars universe and is a character that links Austin and his far older doctor, thanks to the franchise's wide appeal.
Hopefully, Austin's story and the video documenting it will inspire others to sign up to be an organ donor. Although it's never pleasant to consider what will happen to your body once you're gone, there is a pressing need for organs for people like Austin and the joy on the youngster's face when he realizes what the appearance of Chewbacca in his room means will surely inspire others to sign up and help save lives.
More: Former Solo: A Story Wars Story Directors Reveal Their Credit
Source: AJ+, donation statistics via UNOS
