Why Wil Wheaton means so much to one fan
Almost a year ago, a Reddit post asked the members what was their greatest interaction with a cast member, and while there were stories of longer conversations and warm greetings, one fan, who calls herself makingthemesses, told a heart-wrenching story of sobriety which Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation) helps her maintain.
She opens the post by announcing that she was an alcoholic and had tried killing herself. She remembered that Wil Wheaton had posted tips about getting sober, and she saved them on her phone because she knew she needed to stop soon, and after getting sick that night, she read Wheaton’s post again and decided to stop drinking.
Only a few days later, makingthemesses was able to meet Wheaton at a convention when she was eighteen days sober. When she shared the news with him, he was so happy for her, told her he was proud of her, and gave her advice and a signed photo with an inspirational message.
She met him again a few months later and shared that she was still sober and pregnant as well, but in a heartbreaking turn of events, her daughter was born four months premature and passed away. The fan wanted to drink so badly and still does, but she hasn’t.
How Wil Wheaton helps this fan stay sober
Makingthemesses says she thinks about Wil when the desire to drink is overwhelming.
"“I look at one of the signatures he signed as my “sponsor” because I told him that’s how I viewed him. I want to be able to tell him that even though I don’t know how to keep living, I’m still sober. I know I make the choice to not drink, but wanting to make him proud is a big motivating factor, as silly as it sounds. Today I’m 1 yr 24 days sober.”"
What an absolutely incredible story and proof of the positive impact Star Trek and its actors can have on fans around the world. Best of luck to makingthemesses in her continued sobriety journey!