This article is the result of a partnership between MedCity News and Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Make-A-Wish is made up of tens of thousands of volunteers, donors and supporters who advance the vision to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a critical illness. Without each of these key players, the ability to grant a wish every 34 minutes in the United States and its territories would not be possible.
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Those supporters include corporate sponsors like Bristol-Myers Squibb, a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to help patients prevail over serious diseases, like cancer. According to Adam Lenkowsky, General Manager and Head, U.S., Oncology, Immunology, Cardiovascular, at Bristol-Myers Squibb, the company is a strong believer in conscientious citizenship.
“That means doing everything we can to help everyone around the world,” said Lenkowsky. “Our support of organizations like Make-A-Wish is a big part of this.”
In 2017, Bristol-Myers Squibb increased its support of Make-A-Wish, providing a $1 million charitable donation to Make-A-Wish to help support medical outreach and grant more wishes for children with cancer. Through 2019, the company has provided more than $3 million in charitable donations. As a result, the company has helped grant wishes for children with cancer across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam.
A wish with impact
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John Martin and his sister, Anna Cate
A wish granted helps children experience life beyond illness and can also help build the physical and emotional strength a child needs to fight their disease.
“One wish that particularly stands out to me is that of John Martin, who, when we met, was four years old and had cancer,” Lenkowsky said.
John Martin wished to go on a special trip with his family and he was told that his wish was being granted at Bristol-Myers Squibb event. As a result, employees were able to see firsthand the positive impact a wish has on a family.
“John Martin’s wish stands out to me because more than 1,000 of our employees were able to help grant it. Being there with John Martin and his family, seeing the joy and hope he and his family felt from that one wish come true, was an incredibly special moment.”
Moving forward
Donations from corporate sponsors like Bristol-Myers Squibb enable children to have the opportunity to replace fear with confidence, sadness with joy and anxiety with hope – all thanks to a wish granted.
“We understand the important role emotional health plays in a person’s fight against cancer, so we are proud to support Make-A-Wish and the remarkable work they do to bring hope, happiness and inspiration to children and their families,” Lenkowsky said.
Photo: Make-A-Wish