SPECIAL EDITION: The Story of One Boy’s Wish That Changed The World with Make-A-Wish Founder Frank Shankwitz
Summary: “I always kind of hope that those wings help him go straight to heaven”– Frank Shankwitz The Bucket List Life Podcast SPECIAL EDITION: Make-A-Wish Founder Frank Shankwitz On this, a Special Edition of The Bucket List Life Podcast with Kenyon Salo, We meet a person who changed a boy’s life. A boy named Chris, that more than anything wanted to be a Highway Patrol Motorcycle Officer. This gentleman was able to come in and make this wish come true. Our guest tells us how, with the help of many wonderful willing people, he was able to brighten this child’s life before the boy passed. He, along with his wife Kitty and several others, founded The Make-A-Wish Foundation in November of 1980. What is truly phenomenal is 33 years later they are able to grant a wish, somewhere around the world, approximately every 38 minutes. He is here to share with us the story that started it all, the man who just wanted to make a difference and help others, Frank Shankwitz. Highlights of their podcast conversation: 3:00 Frank shares the touching story that started this preeminent organization. He takes us back to 1980 when Frank was an Arizona Highway Patrol Motorcycle Officer. They were just starting to gain popularity due to a TV show called “CHIPs”, which stands for ‘California HIghway Patrol’ about motorcycle highway patrol officers in California. Frank was contacted by another officer that said he had befriended a family that had a seven year old son named Chris, whose heroes were ‘Ponch and John’ from ‘CHIPs’. Chris was suffering from Leukemia and had no more than 2 – 3 weeks to live. They asked if there was anything special they could do for this little boy. The officers and commanders immediately jumped in and set up a special day for Chris, with the permission of his mother and doctors. They sent a helicopter to Chris’s hospital, picked him up and took him to headquarters. The officers were waiting for him with their motorcycles and were surprised when even though he was so ill, Chris jumps out of the helicopter and runs over, excited as can be, and introduces himself, in awe of Franks uniform and motorcycle. For those few hours he was just a typical happy seven years old with no thoughts of hospitals or IV’s. He was allowed to sit on a motorcycle and was given a Highway Patrol uniform hat and a real badge. He was able to go to the comfort of his own home that night. The doctor admitted he didn’t understand why but Chris’s vitals were good enough to allow him to do so. Deciding Chris needed a real uniform of his own, Frank went to the custom shop where they were made and two of the women that worked there stayed up all night making a uniform just for Chris. The next day Frank led a procession of motorcycle and patrol cars to Chris’s neighborhood, red lights and sirens going. They presented Chris with his uniform. Chris was thrilled but there was one other thing he had his eye on. As part of Franks uniform he wore a set of wings that designated he was a motorcycle officer. Chris wanted to know how he could get his wings. After explaining to Chris that he, Frank, had to take a test to see how well he could maneuver a motorcycle to get them, Chris took off and came back with his motorized mini-motorcycle of his own, ready to be tested. They set up a makeshift test right then and there and Chris passed with flying colors. He was told he earned his wings and could have them in a few days. They had to be custom-made by a jeweler and while Frank was there picking them up he received a call. Chris was in the hospital in a coma and wasn’t expected to make it through the day. Frank rushed to the hospital and as he entered the room he saw Chris and hanging beside him was his beloved uniform. As Frank pinned the wings to Chris’s uniform he came out of his coma and asked if he was a real motorcycle officer, Frank told him “Yes”. Chris giggled and smiled and rubbed the wings on his uniform as he showed his mom, as happy as he could be.
