Make-A-Mid-Atlantic Spring/Summer 2018 Wishnews

wishnews

Spring/Summer 2018

midatlantic.wish.org • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • 1

IN THIS ISSUE

WISH KID CORNER Letter from a Wish Mom

Dear friend,

3 35 Years of Wishes Campaign & JetBlue Thank You 4 Ashwani’s Wish Story

I know firsthand the importance of the Make-A-Wish® mission because not only am I a board member and supporter, but I also happen to be a wish mom.

5 Meet Our Medical Advisory Panel

& Volunteer Appreciation

In 1995, at six-years-old, my son Steven received a devastating diagnosis of stage IV cancer, leaving our family struggling with the challenges of two years of chemotherapy, radiation, six surgeries and a fight for his life.

6 Celebrating 35 Years of Wishes

Steven received his wish to meet Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins in 1997, and the wish brought hope back into our world when we needed it most.

We made a family commitment to stay involved and help ensure that other families like ours receive the life-changing power of a wish. In the 21 years since Steven’s wish and full recovery, the power of his wish continues to resonate through time.

This year marks Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic’s 35th anniversary, and my family represents only one of the 9,700 families whose lives have been touched by a wish. It’s an incredible milestone, but it’s also a reminder of the work left to be done. There are currently over 600 local children waiting for their wishes to be granted.

There are many different ways that you can make an impact. In this newsletter, you’ll learn more about how you can help us to transform lives, one wish at a time.

Betsy Gorgei

9 Charm City Celebration of Wishes 10 Evening of Wishes Highlights

About Our Chapter Thanks to our donors and volunteers, our chapter has granted more than 9,700 wishes since 1983.

We serve children who reside in the District of Columbia, Maryland and northern Virginia.

Board of Directors

1997

Sincerely,

8 Walk For Wishes® Highlights

Vito Germinario, Chairman Mike Manatos, Vice Chairman

2018

Andrew Blocher, Treasurer Laura Van Eperen, Secretary Ed Barry Elsie Chang Christopher Coccaro Kevin Conklin

Steven o n his

John Cunningham Jim Franzoni

wish.

Samantha Gallagher Betsy Gorgei Tim Keagy

DEDICATION We dedicate this newsletter to the wish children who have passed away. Each child has touched our hearts and lives.

As always, it is our honor and privilege to serve such courageous children.

Pamela Rothka ening of W ven at Ev te S d n a Betsy, Jim

8. ishes 201

2 • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • midatlantic.wish.org

Scott Schapiro Shripal Shah Jessica Schneickert

$35 FOR 35 YEARS OF LIFE-CHANGING WISHES! wish eem,

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This year, Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic celebrates 35 years of granting life-changing wishes to local children with critical illnesses.

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Founded in 1983 with the vision of granting the wish of every eligible child, we have taken great strides toward reaching that goal. In the 35 years since Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic’s first wish, over 9,700 wishes have been granted for local kids, but there is still work left to do. Over 840 children are expected to be diagnosed with a critical illness in the Mid-Atlantic region each year, and more than 600 local children are currently waiting to receive their one true wish.

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Kaheem, Alexander, Maeve, Brock, Nitin and Addy are all donating $35 for 35 years of wishes and are inviting you to join their efforts!

Maeve, wish granted 2014

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DONATE TODAY AT 35FOR35YEARS.ORG

THANK YOU JETBLUE! Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic thanks our friends at JetBlue for helping make wishes come true and being amazing partners all year round. This year alone, JetBlue has donated 240 tickets for 51 separate local wishes. Thanks to their dedication to granting wishes for kids with critical illnesses, local wish kids experience VIP treatment and unforgettable travel experiences.

In addition to recently hosting an extra-special wish send-off party for local wish kids Kaitlynn, Evelyn and Samuel and their families (pictured), JetBlue employees joined us for local Walk For Wishes® events and raised over $2,000 to help grant local wishes.

Thank you, JetBlue, for all you do to help send wish kids and their families on wish trips that transform their lives forever! midatlantic.wish.org • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • 3

Now & Then:

Ashwani’s story

At age 13, local wish kid Ashwani was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After months of doctor appointments, hospital stays and chemotherapy treatments, Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic granted his wish to meet Denzel Washington, and the experience changed his life forever. Ashwani’s wish gave him and his entire family renewed hope during a very scary time. His wish had such a lasting impact that he decided to make Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic a continued part of his adult life.

Today, as a cancer survivor, he is dedicated to bringing the joy he felt during his wish to the lives of other local children battling critical illnesses.

Ashwani is an active wish granter, working with sick kids to grant their one true wish. He is also a wish ambassador, carrying forth our mission to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Finally, Ashwani also continues to strive to make a difference in his local community through his career, in which he worked for the White House as Director of Communications for Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Summit, and he is currently running for local office.

4 • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • midatlantic.wish.org

Ashwani is a shining example of the legacy of Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic over the past 35 years. A wish granted affects not only the wish kid and family receiving the wish, but also everyone the wish touches. Through his continued involvement in our chapter, Ashwani has ensured that his wish impacted not only himself, his family, his medical team and his community, but also future wish kids, families, donors, medical providers and communities. As Ashwani has shared, “I see Make-A-Wish as part of my identity because it really instilled a lot of hope in a time when I was feeling very hopeless. It made me feel that I can actually make a difference in the lives of others.”

“I would not be who I am today without Make-A-Wish.”

Ashwani emceed Evening of Wishes - see page 10!

MEET OUR CHAPTER MEDICAL ADVISORY PANEL! We are lucky to work with six local physicians representing various hospitals and pediatric sub-specialties in our territory. Panel members assist us with determining medical eligibility for wishes and serve as representatives and advocates for Make-A-Wish in their hospitals and fields of practice.

GENETICS

Debra Regier, MD-Phd Director, Genetic and Genomic Education Children’s National Health System

*Member of National Medical Advisory Council since 2016

GASTROENTEROLOGY

Nada Yazigi, MD Medical Director of Pediatric Liver Transplantation MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute

PULMONOLOGY

Shruti Paranjape, ND Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Johns Hopkins Cystic Fibrosis Center

ONCOLOGY

Eugene Hwang, MD Neuro-Oncologist Children’s National Health System

*Member of National Medical Advisory Council since 2017

CARDIOLOGY

Lucas Collazo, MD Medical Director of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Surgery INOVA Children’s Hospital

NEPHROLOGY

Cozumel S. Pruette, MD, MHS Division of Pediatric Nephrology Johns Hopkins University

Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week!

In the month of April, during Volunteer Appreciation Week, Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic celebrated 35 years of granting life-changing wishes by honoring the volunteers who continue to make it all possible. From highlighting our volunteers on social media to calling our 500+ volunteers to personally thank them, we voiced our gratitude for each volunteer’s incredible dedication and service to our chapter. Whether granting wishes, representing Make-A-Wish at a fair or government agency, supporting staff in the office or welcoming wish families from another chapter, our volunteers are vital to making local wishes come true. Thank you! midatlantic.wish.org • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • 5

1987 I wish to be a Top Gun pilot

1985 I wish to go to Walt Disney World® Resort

Allan, 16 Springfield, VA cystic fibrosis

Jamie, 10

1983

1986 I wish to have a dollhouse

I wish to meet President Reagan

Carmen, 11 Waterford, VA

Amy, 7

1998 I wish to have a camera and printer Charles, 17 Mount Airy, MD

1996 I wish to have a shopping spree

1997 I wish to go on a cruise

Lashan, 18 Hanover, MD blood disorder

Kristina, 7 Cockeysville, MD cancer

2007 I wish to go to a dude ranch

2009 I wish to go on an authentic dino dig

Sarah, 10 Burke, VA

JC, 10 Hagerstown, MD neuromuscular disorder

2008 I wish to go see sea turtles Jeremy, 5 liver transplant 6 • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • midatlantic.wish.org

2010 I wish to meet Joe Flacco Colson, 5 Baltimore, MD cancer

Here’s a peek at just a few of the wishes that have been granted in the last 35 years.

1989 I wish to have a Mac David, 6 Bethesda, MD

1991 I wish to meet Ultraman

1993 I wish to have a room redo

Take, 6 Rockville, MD leukemia

Brittany, 11 Columbia, MD cancer

1990 I wish to meet Mr. Rogers & tour his set

1988 I wish to have a Barbie shopping spree Dia Washington, DC

Laura, 3 Gaithersburg, MD

2000 I wish to go to Jamaica Maani, 10 Alexandria, VA

1999 I wish to meet astronauts at NASA Victor, 16 Salisbury, MD

1994 I wish to go to Walt Disney World® Resort

Todd, 17 Sterling, VA blood disorder

Baylin, 3 Fort Meade, MD

2004 I wish to have a laptop

Alex, 4 Lothian, MD leukemia

Julie, 13 Alexandria, VA blood disorder

2003 I wish to give supplies to the Severna Park Assistance Network

2006 I wish to be a secret agent Maiya, 10

2005 I wish to meet the creators of Lilo & Stitch Denzel, 11

Kevin, 17 Severna Park, MD cancer

Jessica, 16 Edgewater, MD

Julia, 16 Hanover, MD

1992 I wish go fishing on Prince William Island

2002 I wish to go to Walt Disney World® Resort

2001 I wish to go on a student ambassador trip

1995 I wish to have a horse

2011 I wish to have a Star Wars clubhouse

2013 I wish to meet the Washington Capitals

2015 I wish to have a trained service dog

2017 I wish to be a mermaid

Lane, 11 Goldvein, VA neuromuscular disorder

Emily, 17 Taneytown, MD gastrointestinal disorder

Liam, 6 Centreville, VA metabolic disorder

Claire, 5 Alexandria, VA cancer

2013 I wish to go to Jamaica

2014 I wish to go to Walt Disney World® Resort

Kelsey, 6 Baltimore, MD cancer

Maeve, 3 Alexandria, VA cancer

2016 I wish to be a superhero Kaheem, 6 Owings Mills, MD leukemia midatlantic.wish.org • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • 7

2018 I wish to go to Walt Disney World® Resort Asher, 6, Warrenton, VA leukemia

Cooper’s wish to have a service dog!

Thank you for being a SUPERHERO for wish kids!

Thank you to everyone who grabbed their sneakers and superhero capes and joined us at one of our Walk For Wishes® events this spring! Over 1,200 walkers had the chance to join wish families, supporters and volunteers to raise more than $185,000 to directly impact the lives of local wish kids.

Cooper chases Finn in the backyard. They’re having fun – it’s a moment of pure happiness between a boy and his dog. But this is no normal friendship. The bond between five-year-old Cooper and his dog is unlike any other.

When Cooper was four months old, he had his first seizure. When his parents took him to the doctor, they heard the words “Dravet Syndrome” for the first time. The diagnosis is a catastrophic form of epilepsy, and the outlook for the condition is bleak. Cooper’s parents learned that he will suffer from life-threatening seizures many times per day, every day, for the rest of his life.

Living with a seizure disorder changes everything. Cooper can never be left alone and he will never live a “normal life.” For years, he yearned for a measure of independence, and more than anything else, he wanted a dog who could help him achieve that dream.

Through Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic, Cooper received his wish to have a service dog, Finn! Finn supports Cooper through his seizures: he fetches medications, braces to help Cooper stand, anchors to keep Cooper in place and watches over Cooper so that his parents can leave him alone for periods of time. Finn has changed Cooper’s life in a practical sense, but his wish goes beyond just that impact.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Finn has also provided Cooper and his parents with a joy that they have been missing since Cooper’s diagnosis. Cooper’s parents shared, “Finn completed our family.” He is Cooper’s friend, his companion and his brother.

See more of their story at www.CoopersWish.org.

8 • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • midatlantic.wish.org

THANK YOU DON BEYER AUTOMOTIVE! N O V E M B E R 1 7, 2 0 1 8 7: 0 0 PM – 11:3 0 PM H YAT T R E G E N C Y

B A LT I M O R E , M D Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic presents Charm City Celebration of Wishes , a fun event to support local wishes that provides guests with the opportunity to sample great food, beverages and entertainment. Guests mix and mingle, while enjoying a taste of Baltimore and helping to celebrate Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic’s 35th anniversary year! The evening will also feature an expansive silent auction, a live wish experience and afterparty with dancing and an exclusive VIP area for our top supporters.

Thank you to Beyer Automotive Group for their generous support of local wishes – raising over $75,000 in the last 12 months! Beyer has adopted seven wishes through our Adopt-A-Wish® program, ensuring that wishes come true for local children with critical illnesses. You can join Beyer as a local corporate sponsor by participating in our Adopt-A-Wish program, hosting a corporate Wish Week or sponsoring a Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic event or campaign.

Visit midatlantic.wish.org for more information.

I wish to go to Hawaii Cecilia, 11 Centreville, VA bone cancer

TURN YOUR GIFT INTO A LEGACY THAT GRANTS WISHES FOR GENERATIONS.

LEARN MORE, PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS OR BECOME A SPONSOR AT CharmCityCelebrationofWishes.org

A planned gift, such as a bequest in your will or trust, life insurance designation, estate or stock donation ensures your support for the children we serve well into the future. You’ll do more than help grant wishes, you’ll create a legacy that will impact our wish kids for years to come.

For more information on how to set up your planned gift, please visit midatlantic.wish.org midatlantic.wish.org • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • 9

Presented by GPR, Inc. On April 7, Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic celebrated its 35th anniversary with Evening of Wishes at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Over 400 guests, including 35 local wish families, had the opportunity to be part of a special wish reveal for wish kid Nijah, as well as viewed the magical video of wish kid Cooper and his wish to have a service dog. The event raised over $720,000 in support of Make-A-Wish MidAtlantic’s mission to grant the wishes of children with critical illnesses.

Special thanks to our chapter founders, Jane and Chris Martens, Harry Martens, Larry Walker, Barbara Appleby and Debbie Walker, who had the vision to selflessly change the lives of local children by granting Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic’s first wish 35 years ago on April 7, 1983.

Every wish that has followed, and every life touched, is because of you!

THANK YOU TO OUR EVENING OF WISHES SPONSORS

& Jodie Hughes

The Blocher Family George Fattouche Scott & Deb Amey Clinton & Tracy Key

Seremet Family Foundation The James and Theodore Pedas Family Foundation 10 • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • midatlantic.wish.org

THANK YOU TO OUR PRESENTING SPONSOR!

The Wish SocietyTM provides a unique way for Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic to recognize individual donors whose generosity and commitment continue to inspire us all. By becoming a member of the Wish Society, you will help ensure that wishes can continue to come true for every medically eligible child in the Mid-Atlantic region.

To learn more contact lcreedon@midatlantic.wish.org or visit midatlantic.wish.org/ways-to-help/giving/midatlantic-wish-society

IN THE O J

I wish to have a boxer puppy Dwayne, 13 Baltimore, MD neurological condition

SOCIETYTM midatlantic.wish.org • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • 11

Miles to spare can get a kid there.

5272 River Road, Suite 700 Bethesda, MD 20816 301.962.WISH(9474) midatlantic.wish.org

Help local wish kids take flight by donating your airline miles.

MidAtlanticWishMiles.org

26.6 MILES | ONE DAY | GRANT WISHES

September 15, 2018 Catoctin Trail, MD Challenge yourself mentally, physically and philanthropically by signing up for the Make-A-Wish Trailblaze Challenge!

TrailblazeforWishesMD.org 12 • Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic • midatlantic.wish.org