Frank Shankwitz.Photo: Rachel Luna/Getty Images
Frank Shankwitz, one of the co-founders of theMake-A-Wish Foundation, has died. He was 77.
Shankwitz, a former Arizona Highway Patrol officer, died on Jan. 24 at his home in Prescott, Arizona, according toThe New York Times. His wife, Kitty Shankwitz, told the newspaper that his cause of death was esophageal cancer.
“Make-A-Wish is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Frank Shankwitz. Frank was one of six individuals who helped grant Chris Greicius' wish and thereafter became one of the co-founders of Make-A-Wish,” the foundationwrotein a statement last month.
“Thanks to all of our generous founders, more than 500,000 children with critical illnesses worldwide have had the chance to experience the long-lasting, life-changing benefits of a wish,” the statement read. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Shankwitz family.”
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“Our thoughts and prayers are with Frank’s family, as well as the families of all those who have lost loved ones in what has proven to be a difficult twelve months for many,” the department added.
The idea to start the Make-a-Wish foundation originated in 1980, when the Arizona Highway Patrol learned about a local 7-year-old boy namedChris Greicius, who had leukemia, and dreamed of joining the force when he grew up.
The department arranged for the boy to become an honorary officer, and Shankwitz went the extra mile, making a special badge for Chris and contacted the actors ofCHiPs, the boy’s favorite stars, to autograph a picture for him, according to theTimes. Shortly after taking the gifts to Chris, and making his wish come true, the boy died.
The experience had a lasting impact on Shankwitz, who went on to help create the impactful foundation.
Shankwitz became the Make-a-Wish’s first president and stepped down in 1984.
“I wake up every day with a passion to make a difference in their lives,” he wrote inWise Man,his 2018 memoir, according to theTimes. “It was once enough for me to be a dad, a cowboy and a highway patrol officer. But my destination changed.”
source: people.com
