UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital celebrates May 4 with Star Wars party

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- If you hear people saying "May the Fourth be with you" on Friday, that's because May 4 is "Star Wars Day" -- a day for fans of the franchise to geek out.

Children at a San Francisco hospital got to celebrate in an extra special way this week, meeting the star of the latest film, "Solo: A Star Wars Story."

The "force is strong" with these star-struck kids at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in San Francisco, and their smiles are beaming brighter than light sabers.

They enjoyed a special Star Wars party with Alden Ehrenriech, who plays Han Solo in "Solo: A Star Wars Story."

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The movie tells the back story of Han Solo -- how he becomes friends with his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca and the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian.

Seeing their Star Wars hero come to life gives Jedi strength to these young patients, like Dallas Paiva, who has cystic fibrosis and diabetes. "I think it's cool how the celebrities and all this, people come here and support the kids," he said.

The children delighted in playing with R2D2, meeting Rebel pilots and Jedi masters and posing for green screen photos that teach them the magic of movie-making.

Through it all, kids like Gabriel Stweart, who just had surgery for seizures, are learning an important lesson.

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"Are you tough like Luke Skywalker or Han Solo?"

"Yeah, I'm tough."

This is the third annual May the Fourth party at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. It's a collaboration between LucasFilm-Disney and the Starlight Children's Foundation.

"Our intent and hope is to use characters and experiences like the Star Wars experience to provide moments of joy and comfort to patients and families in children's hospitals," says Walt Disney Co. Corporate Citizenship Director Heather Rubin.

The event brought joy, comfort and, for many of these kids, confidence. "I'm gonna be a hero someday!"

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The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Lucasfilm and this station.