Project Fiver – A Dying Hobbit Fan’s Wish

A friend passed me on to this story and I just felt like sharing it.

Melissa, age 34 and known to her friends as Fiver, is an avid Lord of the Rings fans and she was more excited than most to find out about the Hobbit Prequels. But then she was more than disappointed that she is unlikely to live to see them completed. She has Lou Gerig’s disease and the average person lives 3-5 years after diagnosis. She has had the disease for a year now.

Her husband has put together a petition online to hopefully reach out to NewLine and Peter Jackson (and now DelToro if that helps) to get her a gig as an extra in the film.

Project Fiver has the full story.

She is excited about the filming of “The Hobbit” sequels, but was apprehensive about the release dates of 2010 and 2011: She doesn’t even know if she’ll still be alive when these movies are released. I told her to make that her goal : to be around to see these films in the theater. But we don’t know how this disease will go.The goal of PROJECT FIVER is to deliver a petition to Peter Jackson, New Line, and whoever takes the Directorship, asking that Melissa be cast as a costumed hobbit extra in the film. Even if she’s not there when the movies are released, just being part of the production of The Hobbit, even if it’s just sitting at a table in the background, will absolutely mean the world to her. It would be her reason to hang on.

This is inspiring that her friends and family have already gathered nearly 4000 signatures already.

Well International Friends, I ask you to add your names to this list.

It will only take a few moments of your time and if we can get even a fraction of your names to this list it may make a HUGE difference. Not just the tally of the Petition, but to reach out to this fan and make a difference.

I know that many of these petitions rarely turn into anything, but if only to see the number of people who signed it may result in one happy day for this devoted fan, I urge you to take the two minutes to change a life.

Click here to visit the Petition Site and add your name

Visit Project Fiver to read her story.

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31 thoughts on “Project Fiver – A Dying Hobbit Fan’s Wish

  1. very touching story….and a very inspirational one….i hope she has her dream come true…stay strong Chris….i knew its hard for you

  2. I Have been telling all my real life folks to go to the movieblog for the link …hopefully that will be about 10 more people good luck cant wait to see your name on the end credits <3

  3. Well, look at that! I wasn’t sure if this was legit, truth be told. Nothing personal against you, ProjectFiver, but there’s a lot of whackos out there who will say and do anything for a bit of fame. Now I’m gonna go sign that petition.

  4. Hi there. I’m Chris Kern, Melissa’s husband. First off, Thank you for posting this! We were suddenly getting a spike of new signatures and one of them mentioned they heard about it here. It means a lot to her.

    BigSampson: As for a lifetime goal, She’s always wanted to take martial arts, and she just finished her Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, just before the disease started taking its toll on her movements. Her whole life, she’s always wanted to visit Japan, and I’m taking her there for two weeks at the end of this month. Going to push her all around Tokyo!

    I understand the skepticism, I knew there would be some going in, that’s why I set up ProjectFiver like I did. We’re not asking for money and we’re not spamming people who sign up. I know that if you strip down every charitable act down to it’s core, it’s just a prayer or well-wishing for a person, so that’s all we’re asking. This is also not holding the studio hostage. Yes, it would be free publicity if they brought her in to be an extra, but I doubt any person looking forward to seeing this film would boycott it if they did NOT cast her. We’re not out to hurt the studio if we don’t get our way.

    Melissa was moved to tears when I revealed Project Fiver to her on her birthday, along with it’s 844 signatures at the time. She said she knows that there’s a good chance that it won’t happen, but it’s the idea that so many people just WISH that this could happen for her that counts. It still fills her with hope and puts a smile on her face every time the signature number goes up, just knowing that people sympathize with her plight. Thanks again to everyone here.

  5. no i ment that if the movie studio’s didnt put her in a small bit roll they would be heartless assholes not Fiver….basically im saying is that people will try to look at the bad when in all actuallity they shouldnt…and that if new line(or w/e) didnt take this awesome chance to get free publicity and show that they are human then they are fools.

  6. Max, this person is a friend of a person that I know. I assure you this is not someone who is “faking it”

    And sadly, if she does live to see herself in the film, it wont be for long. The disease she has is incurable, and at most people live 5 years from it. She has had the disease for a year already and cannot even climb stairs unassisted.

    This is a sad story and two minutes of your time to sign a petition is not that much to ask. If she lives long enough to see it through (and if the studio allows what she is wishing for) then is that so bad? She will have one happy moment in the declining days of her young life.

    Is that so much to ask?

  7. If you read more about the Cameron Duncan story shane talks of and what they did for him you will see that they are far from heartless a-holes.

  8. Big Sampson, as far as I know, they’re not heartless a-wholes. And as much as I like Del Toro, and his film Pan’s Labyrinth, I wish PJ could do the movie.

  9. Reminds me of the Cameron Duncan story. A young New Zealand filmmaker under going cancer inspired the song at the end of Return of the King, and died before the film’s release. That story is actually true. It’s on the extended DVD of ROTK. And now that story is remembered. That story is a story that touched not only my heart, but as well many who have gotten the extended edition of ROTK.

  10. for sure i to hope they do put her in the movie like i said if they dont basically its showing that there heartless assholes…which i would hope there not.

  11. @bigsampson

    I admit that these petitions rarely turn into anything, but if even to see the vast number of people who have signed it, there is something to be said. Imagine if they decline her request but she still has in her mind that thousands of people all hoped to see this happen. That alone would make the effort worth it.

    And studios cannot be blackmailed by some sort of boycott of another film. This would be a gesture of goodwill to this woman and likely some positive press. Mutual benefit. But if they don’t do it, you can’t make them.

    We can hope.

  12. i mean its cool and all but u would think that a life long goal would be something way more..well more inspiring for other people who have terminal disease’s etc….my heart goes out to this lady and i hope she does get a shot…i mean how could it possible hurt the filming and outcome of what sure will be a great movie….but for a website and a petition is kinda fruitless except for maybe kinda like blackmailing a co. to implement her in a movie and if they dont the movie organization looks like jerks…..really no option here but to give here a roll….and im trying not to look at the negative side of things but thats what inevitably will be looked at by a percentage of people……..

  13. I signed it. I had a heart transplant 15 years ago and I remember one of my few wishes was to make it to see the last (first) three Star Wars film, I thanks god for making it and I hope Mellisa gets her wish as well

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