Want to know what happens in Star Trek Into Darkness? Can't wait to find out what the deal is with Benedict Cumberbatch's mysterious villain, and discover what other secretive treats JJ Abrams has in store? Then there's only one guy you need to talk to: a terminally ill fan named Dan.
On Christmas Day, a post appeared on Reddit from a user named 'ideeyut', hoping for an "amazing act of generosity and kindness for a friend of mine who is really sick". The user's 41-year-old friend, identified simply as "Dan", was diagnosed with leukaemia three and a half years ago and had since endured a bone marrow transplant, full body radiation treatment and more than three rounds of chemotherapy. To top things off, an unrelated vascular tumour has been attacking Dan's liver.
Despite that, Dan bought a ticket to watch the nine-minute extended preview of Star Trek Into Darkness that was being shown before The Hobbit, but was forced to give up his ticket after being hospitalised. After that ordeal, Dan's wife told Reddit user ideeyut: "I am his care-giver — I would do anything to help him... WOULD LOVE him to be able to see the Star Trek movie."
The compelling post spread quickly, and a mere two days later, another friend of Dan's — Grady Hendrix, co-founder of the New York Asian Film Festival — revealed that his wish had been granted. "JJ Abrams just called Dan's wife and left a message," Hendrix wrote. "He's going to try to arrange a screening for Dan, either of the film or at least of the nine-minute promo reel. I'l never say anything bad about JJ Abrams again. Seriously. He is now beyond reproach as far as I'm concerned."
The next day, Dan was given a private screening of the near-complete film, according to a December 29 post from Hendrix: "He got to see it a couple of hours ago and loved it. JJ Abrams is the man. I'm going to buy an extra ticket for Dan when it comes out."
Neither Paramount nor Abrams have commented.
(Via The Independent)
