{"id":648283,"date":"2026-05-05T00:43:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T00:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/648283\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T00:43:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T00:43:10","slug":"r2-d2-brightens-up-star-wars-day-for-chemotherapy-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/648283\/","title":{"rendered":"R2-D2 brightens up Star Wars Day for chemotherapy patients"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The R2-D2 droid replica created by local Star Wars fan Robert Cast visited the chemotherapy clinic at Health Sciences North on May 4 to help mark Star Wars Day<\/p>\n<p>A surprise visit by R2-D2 helped mark Star Wars Day for chemotherapy patients at Health Sciences North on May 4.<\/p>\n<p>The day is dubbed Star Wars Day because May 4 sounds like the movie catchphrase \u201cMay the force be with you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Local Star Wars enthusiast <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sudbury.com\/local-news\/r2-d2-brightening-up-star-wars-day-for-sick-sudburians-6952171#google_vignette\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Robert Cast built the R2-D2<\/a> in his garage a few years ago and has been sharing the gift of the droid replica at local comic conventions and health-care facilities ever since.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cR2-D2 is beloved,\u201d he said, adding that for some, it\u2019s nostalgia, and for others, \u201c there\u2019s a robot in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The chemotherapy clinic at Health Sciences North is a touchy place to visit with an R2-D2 replica, he said, adding that people are going through a tough time and not everyone\u2019s eager to engage.<\/p>\n<p>Some people are receptive to a visit from R2-D2, he said, adding that brightening up their difficult day makes it all worthwhile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I have this silly robot in my garage and load it up and make them smile, absolutely.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"040526_tc_r2d2_2\" id=\"file-4378365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/040526_TC_R2D2_2_FIXED.JPG;w=960.jpeg\"\/>&#13;<br \/>\nRobert Cast is pictured with the R2-D2 he created during a visit to the Health Sciences North chemotherapy clinic to mark Star Wars day on May 4. Patient faces in the background have been blurred due to privacy concerns. Tyler Clarke \/ Sudbury.com&#13;<\/p>\n<p>The replica is equipped with the same beeps and boops as the movie droid.<\/p>\n<p>Cast built a replica of the Star Wars droid in his garage a few years ago and he has been spreading the R2-D2 love at local comic conventions and health-care centres ever since.<\/p>\n<p>To mark Star Wars Day, Health Sciences North issued the following statement:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis May the Fourth, we\u2019re celebrating the Force behind care at Health Sciences North \u2014 the 4,800 staff, nearly 500 physicians, 400 volunteers, and 2,800 learners who support patients from across Northeastern Ontario.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a regional specialized referral centre, patients often travel from far, far away to access the advanced care they need delivered close to home with compassion, expertise, and dedication.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTogether with our community partners including 23 hospitals across the Northeast, as well as donors, patients, and families. We are building a strong alliance to serve more than 537,000 people across the region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are deeply grateful for the ongoing support of our communities, which helps brighten the experience of patients and families every day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMay the Fourth be with you and with all those who give and receive care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"040526_tc_r2d2_1\" id=\"file-4378364\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/040526_TC_R2D2_1_FIXED.JPG;w=960.jpeg\"\/>&#13;<br \/>\nRN Veronica Denommee poses for a photo with R2-D2 at the Health Sciences North chemotherapy clinic on May 4. Patient faces in the background have been blurred due to privacy concerns. Tyler Clarke \/ Sudbury.com&#13;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The R2-D2 droid replica created by local Star Wars fan Robert Cast visited the chemotherapy clinic at Health&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":648284,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":["post-648283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=648283"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648283\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/648284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=648283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=648283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=648283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}