5 minute read
An Unexpected Wish
By Beverly Perkins
Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida has granted more than 13,000 life-changing wishes since 1983 for children who have critical illnesses. The non-profit organization aims to grant a wish for every medically eligible child in its territory. Typically, there are five types of wish requests: “I wish to be” (something), “I wish to meet” (someone), “I wish to go” (somewhere), “I wish to have” (something), and “I wish to give” (to a cause). However, one of the most recent wishes surprised everyone. Cole Vaccarella, a 17-yearold cancer survivor from Davie, did not want anything; He wanted to do the giving. His wish was to give back to those that helped him during his battle with cancer. He Cole Vaccarella chose to donate the average cost of a wish ($5,000) to the Sarcoma Patient Assistance Fund at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to help children receive treatment that may not be fully covered by insurance.
The generous teen’s wish to give back was celebrated with a check presentation ceremony where he reunited with his primary oncologist, Dr. Maggie Fader, and joined Make-A-Wish representatives in presenting a check to the children’s hospital’s non-profit foundation to assist cancer patients and their families.
“I wanted to help others get the same treatment I did. I got really good care and it helped my healing process,” explained Cole. “I contributed as much as I can to help those get the care I did. It feels nice to know that I’m helping others who are going through what I did. I’m thankful for everything I have and grateful for all I received.”
The philanthropic survivor went on to share his medical journey and the reasons behind his desire to donate. He credits the doctors,
Vincent Vaccarella, Julie Kasen, Cole Vaccarella, Marguerite Rogers,
Tracy Vaccarella. Photo Credit: “Make-a-Wish Southern Florida” medical staff, and treatment at Nicklaus with saving his life and he wants others that may not have the financial means to have the same opportunities as he did. “Cole took a devastating sickness and he put it to be a minority on his course of recovery. I was so moved that he wanted to share his fortune with others,” explained Norm Wedderburn, President & CEO, Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida. “The wishes we grant aren’t just nice, they’re necessary. Research shows the anticipation of a wish and memories made during them can have a positive and significant impact on the health and well-being of the children, families, and extended networks we reach.” ▸ For more information on Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida, please visit www.sfla.wish.org.
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