The making of the 'Wish Man'
In 1980 highway patrol officer Frank Shankwitz helped grant the dying wish of a boy who dreamed of joining the police; that boy inspired Frank to set up the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Frank Shankwitz was the co-founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organisation that since 1980 has granted hundreds of thousands of wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Frank’s inspiration came from his own difficult childhood, a near-death experience and an encounter with a 7-year-old boy named Chris Greicius. Frank passed away recently; he spoke to Outlook's Andrea Kennedy about his extraordinary life in October 2019.
Presenter: Andrea Kennedy
Producer: Tom Harding Assinder
Picture: Frank Shankwitz and Chris Greicius
Credit: Frank Shankwitz
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
Last on
Broadcasts
- Sun 14 Feb 202108:32GMTBBC World Service except East Asia, Europe and the Middle East & South Asia
- Sun 14 Feb 202123:32GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
Watch Lives Less Ordinary on YouTube
Videos from our extraordinary podcast Lives Less Ordinary.
Contact Outlook
Info on how we might use your contribution on air
Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected
