R2-KT
At first glance, R2-KT might just look like a pink astromech droid, perhaps just a repainted R2-D2. But there’s much more to this particular R2 unit. This “droid with a heart of gold” was created by a group of fans for a young girl who had brain cancer. When her condition worsened, Katie Johnson was confined to her bed and wished she had her own droid watching over her, just like R2 watched over Padmé in Attack of the Clones. When a group of R2-D2 builders learned about this, they quickly made R2-KT and sent it to the girl. According to her mother, she loved the droid and it was with her for her final days, watching over her.
Since then, the droid has become a part of Star Wars canon, appearing in TV shows and movies. And R2-KT, the real-life droid, continues to visit children’s hospitals, making them smile and raising awareness of pediatric cancers. No, that’s not dust in my eyes. Those are tears.
