A Selfless Wish Granted to Benefit Other Kids
January 20, 2023
At Hackensack Meridian Health, philanthropy starts young. Last month, during a private presentation, Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley honored the wish of 15-year-old Shannon of Rockland County, who elected to use her wish to give back to pediatric patients at Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital. With the help of Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley, Shannon gifted six iPads, six Nintendo Switches and nine $100 Netflix subscription gift cards to benefit fellow patients during their hospital stays.
In 2018, Shannon was diagnosed with a critical illness, and although Shannon’s original wish was to attend Comic-Con San Diego, a convention dedicated to comic books, movies and comic culture, the spread of COVID-19 prevented that from happening. Shannon later faced some medical challenges which further delayed her wish and made her reimagine the experience.
After speaking with her mother, Shannon decided to act and give back to patients at the Children’s Hospital. For Shannon, days spent in the clinic for treatment were difficult, but with the help of electronics and video games, she was able to keep herself busy. She was able to work with the Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley team and pick out certain streaming services and devices that she enjoys and believes that other children would enjoy as well.
“I wanted to give kids what helped me through treatments and to give back to the clinic that helped me,” says Shannon.
Special gifts, like Shannon’s, ensure that our youngest patients have the tools they need to remain children during their care, which can often be fearful, painful and challenging. We are so moved by Shannon’s selfless gift and commend her and Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley for their generosity.
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