Doctor dressed as Chewbacca tells boy he's getting a new heart

Monday, March 19, 2018
CHICAGO (WLS) -- When 15-year-old Austin Eggleston was placed on a heart transplant list nearly five months ago, his doctor made him a deal.

Dr. Phillip Thrush promised Austin - a die-hard Star Wars fan from Pontiac, Illinois - that when a heart became available, he would deliver the good news wearing a Chewbacca costume.
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Dr. Thrush made good on his promise Saturday, speaking fluent Wookiee. The heartwarming moment was captured on video in Austin's room at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.

RAW VIDEO: Chewbacca tells boy he's getting a new heart
Heart transplant recipient's mom speaks


"We got a heart? Do we seriously have a heart?" Austin asks before high-fiving and hugging the pediatric cardiologist-turned-Wookiee warrior.

"To see him knowing that he has a chance at life, that he has a chance to achieve so many things leaves you speechless," said Austin's mom, Mary Anglin, of that blissful moment Saturday morning, which has more than 70,000 views on Facebook.
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Anglin also expressed gratitude for the donor's family, which had to make a courageous decision to donate a child's heart in their time of grief.



"He will make sure that he does remarkable things because of it," Anglin promised.

First up: lobbying Marvel to host a special screening of Avengers: Infinity War for the Lurie's kids who cannot leave the hospital because of their illnesses. He's started a social media campaign using the Twitter handle @TheReelThanos, hoping to get the movie maker's attention.

Marvel and ABC7 are both owned by the Walt Disney Company.
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