Wish Comes True For Honolulu Child Through Make-A-Wish and UnitedHealthcare
Aloha, Hawaii … Ciao, Italia!
HONOLULU – Tedd, 10, of Honolulu lives with Medulloblastoma (cancer of the brain). When presented with an opportunity to make a wish, he chose to go to Italy. Tedd’s wish will come true on Friday, courtesy of UnitedHealthcare and Make-A-Wish® Hawaii. UnitedHealthcare sponsored Tedd’s wish through its national alliance with Make-A-Wish® America to support the foundation and its mission of granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Local UnitedHealthcare employees will throw a send-off party for Tedd and his family (media welcome):
Thursday, March 8, 2012
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Buca di Beppo
1030 Auahi Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
Special guests making appearances at Tedd’s party will be Filipina songstress Lani Misalucha, who currently performs at the Magic of Polynesia Showroom at the Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Resort, and Dr. Michele Carbone, director of the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii and honorary consul of Italy.
On Friday, Tedd and his family will depart for Italy on a nine-day trip. They will explore Rome, Venice and Florence. As part of Tedd’s homeschool research he became fascinated with ancient Roman history. On his trip, he is particularly looking forward to exploring the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Vatican.
“We are very happy to see that UnitedHealthcare’s national alliance with the Make-A-Wish Foundation is able to provide Tedd with his trip to Italy,” said David Heywood, vice president of UnitedHealthcare Hawaii. “As a health and well-being company, we work every day to make a difference in our communities, and we are honored to have played a role in making this wish come true.”
As part of a renewed three-year, $3 million national alliance, each of the Foundation’s 62 chapters is eligible to receive wish-granting funds. UnitedHealth Group has funded more than 1,250 wishes beginning with its initial three-year, $4.5 million alliance in 2007.
UnitedHealth Group employees and the dollar-for-dollar company match have donated more than $2.8 million to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® through its annual United Giving Campaign.
About the Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, with 62 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 193,000 wishes in the United States since its inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 650,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 38 million people and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.
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