Wish Week: 12 Wish Kids Gear up for Super Bowl 49 with Make-A-Wish®
Twelve excited wish kids are about to experience their most heartfelt wish come true this weekend courtesy of Make-A-Wish®.
The 12 wish kids, from 10 different states, arrived in Phoenix on Wednesday for Super Bowl 49 to a welcome celebration that kicked off their Wish Week. During Wish Week, they’ll visit Super Bowl Central, the NFL Experience, and take a private tour of the stadium where the Seahawks and Patriots will play for the championship this Sunday.
Wish kid Shanon began his Wish Week with a family road trip from Kentucky to Arizona. Shanon will be cheering for the Seahawks this Sunday along with wish kid Emily, an Arizona native. Wish kid Estefan, from Nebraska, will root for the Patriots.
The first wish to go the Super Bowl (and only the ninth in the organization’s history) came almost immediately after the founding of Make-A-Wish, with a 12-year-old Arizona boy attending Super Bowl XVI in 1982. Since then, every subsequent Super Bowl has been attended by at least one wish kid, and more than 130 Super Bowl wishes have been fulfilled in the last 10 years alone.
For the 12 wish kids attending Super Bowl XLIX in Phoenix, watching professional football’s biggest game in-person represents their most heartfelt wish coming true. The experience has the potential to serve as a turning point in wish kids’ medical treatment helping them feel better, and in some cases, even get better.
To see photos and learn more about Shanon, Emily, Estefan and all of the wish kids embarking on their #WishWeek, and to contribute to their story, visit the Make-A-Wish America Super Bowl 49 Storify.
Make-A-Wish thanks the NFL for helping make these impactful wishes possible.
About Make-A-Wish®
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true has positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illness, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen the entire family. Headquartered in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish is one of the world's leading children's charities, serving children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 27,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 37 minutes. It has granted more than 254,000 wishes since its inception in 1980; more than 14,200 in 2014 alone. Visit Make-A-Wish at www.wish.org to learn more.
