The making of the 'Wish Man'
In 1980 highway patrol officer Frank Shankwitz helped grant the dying wish of a boy who dreamed of joining the police; that boy inspired Frank to set up the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Frank Shankwitz was the co-founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organisation that since 1980 has granted hundreds of thousands of wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Frank’s inspiration came from his own difficult childhood, a near-death experience and an encounter with a 7-year-old boy named Chris Greicius. Frank passed away recently; he spoke to Outlook's Andrea Kennedy about his extraordinary life in October 2019.
Presenter: Andrea Kennedy
Producer: Tom Harding Assinder
Picture: Frank Shankwitz and Chris Greicius
Credit: Frank Shankwitz
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
Last on
More episodes
Broadcasts
- Sun 14 Feb 2021 08:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East Asia, Europe and the Middle East & South Asia
- Sun 14 Feb 2021 23:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
Contact Outlook
Info on how we might use your contribution on air
Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected