A San Diego health care professional working on the front lines in the current pandemic got the surprise of her life this weekend, courtesy of one of her biggest movie heroes.

Nurse Chloe Ducose was featured on US talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! as part of the show’s Healthcare Hero segment – and as she’s a huge fan of Star Wars, Kimmel knew just who to bring in to make it a special occasion.

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Kimmel surprised Ducose by bringing a third party into their online chat: legendary Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill.

Ducose was delighted to (virtually) meet her hero – who, it turns out, used to live in the same area of San Diego where she currently works.

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Hamill introduced himself the way every Star Wars fan dreams he would: by telling Ducose, “the Force is strong with you.”

Hamill went on to tell a clearly emotional Ducose, “I’ve been reading about all you’ve done. Six years a nurse, teaching at night, you’re in the tents [testing people for Covid-19]. I mean, that’s so great.”

The 68-year-old actor then remarked, “To me, I’m a pretend hero, you’re the real-life hero. So thank you for your service.”

Then just to top it all off, Jimmy Kimmel informed Ducose she was being awarded $10,000 from PayPal in recognition of her efforts, while Hamill gifted Ducose with a signed lightsaber.

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Jimmy Kimmel Live! is running a Healthcare Hero segment throughout the lockdown period in association with PayPal, to both honour and reward those putting their lives on the line in this difficult time.

As well as awarding $10,000 to Ducose, PayPal also issued gift certificates to all of Ducose’s co-workers.

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Mark Hamill most recently played Luke Skywalker for what is thought to be the final time in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.