SALT LAKE CITY — With the bright eyes and smile of a child, 37-year-old Nathan Egan bounds up to greet his idol, Mark Hamill.

"Hi, Luke Skywalker!" he exclaims, pulling out the bright blue lightsaber he brought to show off.

The interaction lasts only seconds as Egan holds up the lightsaber and puts an arm around Hamill. The two grin for a photo, and Egan's sister, Allison Hill, watches with a wide smile.

As he is ushered from the photo area, Egan turns back and calls out, "It was nice to meet you, Luke Skywalker. Have a good day!"

Egan was born with autism and suffered significant brain injuries in an accident 20 years ago, leaving him with the mind and personality of a child. He finds comfort in routine and the interests he has had since he was a boy, like "Star Wars," his sister explained.

Egan met Hamill on Thursday at Salt Lake Comic Con, a gift from his family. He said the hero of the original "Star Wars" trilogy looks different now from the movies the Salt Lake man watches almost daily, but he's still easily recognized as the face of Luke Skywalker.

"When I was a kid back then, I'd watch it on TV with my brothers and sisters, and it was so great," Egan said. "I loved it so much. I like (Luke Skywalker) the best because he's the first I knew about when I was first watching 'Star Wars,' and I also like how he's the one who gets to fight with the lightsaber."

As he talks about "Star Wars," Egan rattles off his favorite scenes: Luke Skywalker training with Yoda on Dagobah, rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine, lightsaber battles with Darth Vader, and flying an X-wing through space to fight the Death Star.

"Darth Vader is Luke's father, you know?" he adds, an urgent aside to his narrative.

Egan was 17 and riding his bicycle when he was hit by a car, sending him flying up and over the vehicle's windshield and crashing down on his head, Hill explains. He wasn't expected to survive the helicopter ride to LDS Hospital, or the surgeries the followed.

When Egan made it through and awakened from a three-week coma, doctors warned that he would likely spend the rest of his life as a 6-foot-tall infant, unable to speak or care for himself.

Egan awoke and said the name of one of his sisters, Jennifer, a sign to his family he would be able to communicate with them. When he recognized a life-size cardboard cutout of Luke Skywalker that had been brought to the hospital room, they knew his personality had survived as well.

"Anyone that knows Nate knows him as the biggest 'Star Wars' fan, especially Luke Skywalker," Hill said of her older brother. "We had lightsabers in the hospital room, and then action figures that (the intensive care unit doctor) brought. … We watched all the movies in the hospital."

Through Egan's difficult recovery, "Star Wars" was a comforting constant.

Related

Salt Lake Comic Con blasts off on biggest stage yet

Salt Lake Comic Con is bursting at the seams. Unable to meet fan demands on its usual Salt Palace Convention Center stage, Utah's original comic and pop culture convention kicked off the three geekiest days of the year at Vivint Arena on Thursday.

"For us, 'Star Wars' was something that not only changed his life, but in a way saved his life," Hill said. "That was always our little hope. I don't know what it was about having Luke Skywalker in the hospital room. … That was the biggest reminder of who Nate was and who he was still going to be."

Hill first learned of Hamill's comic con appearance on a radio announcement and immediately decided it was an opportunity her brother couldn't miss. The $375 super fan pass — which included seats at Hamill's panel, a signed autograph and a photo with Luke Skywalker himself — was a bargain compared with what it would mean to Egan, she said.

"I was thinking about what price would be too much to pay to do it," she said. "For him, I would way more regret not getting it than paying the money."

The family told Egan on Tuesday that he would soon be meeting his hero, and the fan spent the next day choosing a shirt from his extensive collection to wear for the occasion.

As Egan got his first look at the photo with Hamill, he looked up happily at his sister, as if afraid to touch the picture.

"I love it. It's just like I wanted it," he said with a grin.

Of meeting Hamill, Egan said, "I love it so much."

"I have watched him on TV for 32 years. I'm glad I finally got to meet him in person," he said. "It's different to watch than to get to meet him. It makes me so happy inside."

Hill fought tears as she watched her brother studying the photo.

"It was a quick minute, but it's something he'll remember for the rest of his life," Hill said. "It was almost emotional. It happened so fast, but to see him now, it's amazing. Just look at him."

As Egan and Hill left, they discussed where to put the photo once they got home, possibly in a special book or a frame in the living room.

"I love it," he said. "I want to keep it for the rest of my life."

Related topics