Staff Reports | Community Updates
Make-A-Wish and ESPN have announced the “My Wish” series has returned to SportsCenter.
The fan-favorite series focuses on the medical journeys of children facing critical illnesses and the life-changing hope and joy they experience when their wishes to meet their sports heroes come true, according to a press release.
This year’s edition will feature four wish kids, including 14-year-old Alejandro Merino from Make-A-Wish Arizona who lives with cystic fibrosis. Alejandro had his wish granted to meet two-time undisputed super-middleweight champion Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, the release states.
For each of the wishes featured, ESPN cameras were on hand to document the wish journey from the initial surprise when the wish kids learned their wish was coming true to the life-changing day when they met their favorite athlete or team.
Over the years, “My Wish” has featured global superstars, world champions, gold medalists, hall of famers and MVPs.
Each feature will debuted during the 7 a.m. ET broadcast of SportsCenter, and once debuted, will air on successive SportsCenter programs for 24 hours. A digital version of each of the “My Wish” features will also be available on the ESPN YouTube page and the ESPN and Make-A-Wish websites.
For Alejandro’s story, Spanish-speaking sports fans can catch an exclusive version produced for the Spanish-language counterpart series, “Mi Deseo,” on ESPN Deportes and the ESPN Deportes website.
“Every year, the ‘My Wish’ series brings the strength and resilience of our wish kids to life through the lens of the sports they love most,” said Leslie Motter, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America, in the release. “Thanks to ESPN, fellow sports fans around the world can see how a wish serves as a powerful source of hope and healing for wish kids, their families and everyone else involved.”
As he has since the very first “My Wish” story, Emmy-award winning reporter Chris Connelly brings his storytelling prowess to the series through his insightful interviews with the wish kids and their families.
“I’ve been part of My Wish since its inception, and I’m still just amazed by the resilience, strength and optimism of the children and families whose stories we share,” Mr. Connelly said in a prepared statement. “I think we’re all grateful for the chance to show these wishes restoring hope and happiness to those who’ve had to endure so much.”
Make-A-Wish extends its thanks to Disney and ESPN for their support of the “My Wish” series as part of The Walt Disney Company’s commitment to delivering happiness and joy when it’s needed most to children with critical illnesses and their families.
Beyond assisting with this year’s series, Disney, which owns ESPN, has been a steadfast friend of Make-A-Wish for 45 years and has helped the organization grant more than 165,000 Disney-related wishes, including the very first official wish. In fact, Disney is the world’s largest wish granter for Make-A-Wish, granting a wish every hour of every day.
