It is with a heavy heart that we here at MickeyBlog share the news that Frank Shankwitz, the Arizona Highway Patrol officer who co-created the Make-A-Wish Foundation has passed away at the age of 77. Shanwitz passed away at the age of 77 succumbing to esophageal cancer. We are told that his passing actually occurred on January 24th and his wife of 38 years, Kitty, was by his bedside.
THREAD FOR A HERO
Officer Frank Shankwitz died today. He’s one of the nicest I ever met and here’s his story. It started with a boy named Chris Greicius. Chris wanted to be a police officer. The problem was, he had leukemia. He was dying. pic.twitter.com/7Cy1C2ad5N
Disney Parks and Make-A-Wish have made thousands of wishes come true for children over the years. One of our highlights here at MickeyBlog is sharing these stories with you each and every month. Without Frank, this wouldn’t be possible. Frank heard about a boy named Chris Greicus back in 1980 who had end stage leukemia and wanted to be a motorcycle cop when he grew up. Frank was determined to make Chris’ dream come true .
Frank showed up to meet Chris, gave him a bade and a uniform and even had him take a driving test in his front yard to become a real motor cop! CHiPs stars Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox even autographed a photo for Chris but before Shanwitz could give it to the boy he had fallen into a come.
A few months later, Frank created the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Since that time more than 315,000 children in the United States have had their dreams come true as a result of franks dream. Today there are 64 chapters in the US and 36 chapters internationally.
Our condolences go out to Franks, family, friends and all of those that have felt the power of his work with Make-A-Wish.
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Melissa Roden
As an agent with MickeyTravels and a Blogger with MickeyBlog I enjoy sharing, tips, tricks and advice to help readers and clients get the most out of your time with Disney. When I'm not helping clients plan their perfect holidays or nab those hard-to-get discounts you can find me enjoying a Dole Whip at Disney World with my daughter! Reach out for a FREE, no obligation quote at 1.800.801.4025 or find me on Facebook!
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