Giant R2-D2 Terrorizes Star Wars Villains, Thrills Everyone Else

From the Tulsa World:

Just when it seemed that Darth Vader would spell
the end of Han Solo and a team of Jedi warriors, a 6-foot-tall R2D2
droid rolled onto the wooden gym floor at Bishop Kelley High School and
defeated Vader as well as Darth Maul and several storm troopers.

Although the performance didn’t stick to the “Star Wars” story perfectly, 7-year-old Matthew Grammer didn’t care.

He was too busy driving R2D2 and saving the day during a skit put on by
Bishop Kelley’s senior class during the private school’s winter
homecoming pep rally Monday afternoon.

Matthew was diagnosed in January 2009 with ALL, or acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children who have
life-threatening medical conditions. And although many children wish for
trips to Disney World, Matthew’s was a little more of a challenge.

Being the famous droid from the “Star Wars” franchise was what Matthew
wished for about a year ago, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma
has worked since then to grant it.

“I could see it coming from him,” said Matthew’s mother, Tina Lynch. “He’s pretty unique.”

His family hopes that Matthew’s last chemotherapy treatment will be in March.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma commissioned Little Mountain Productions of Tulsa to construct the driveable robot.

The prop and set design company also built another “Star Wars”-themed
wish, a Millennium Falcon tree house, a few years ago, said Amy Ramsey,
the foundation’s wish coordinator.

…
Matthew and his oldest brother, Ethan, are both big “Star Wars” fans, so
in addition to Matthew’s getting the larger-than-life-size R2D2, the
students at Bishop Kelley also dressed up as “Star Wars” characters,
learned music from the films’ scores and wrote and performed a “Star
Wars” skit during the pep rally.

Huh, I have a little something in eye… and that something is 8,000 TEARS. Well done, Little Mountain Production — you guys are heroes. Welldone to students of Bishop Kelly High School, for being cool enough to run the skit and then cheer like crazy And most of all, well done to you, Matthew — beat that leukemia like R2-D2 mercilessly slaughtered those battle droids in Revenge of the Sith. Make it fall down and then set it on fire. It deserves nothing less. (Via Geekologie)