Thanks to Make-A-Wish and UnitedHealthcare, the shopping spree wish of a Wellington teen came true last month.
Rachel, 17, lives with disease of the circulatory system. When presented with an opportunity for a wish, she chose to go on a shopping spree. UnitedHealthcare sponsored Rachel’s wish through its national alliance with Make-A-Wish to support the organization and its mission of granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Rachel loves clothes and shopping at the mall. During her treatment, she was on steroids that caused weight gain. She has lost some of that weight and looked forward to shopping for new clothes.
While visiting Sawgrass Mills on Saturday, Feb. 2, Rachel took a break from shopping to get her nails done.
“We are very happy to see that UnitedHealthcare’s national alliance with Make-A-Wish was able to provide Rachel with a shopping spree,” said Nick Zaffiris, CEO of UnitedHealthcare South Florida. “As a health and well-being company, we work every day to make a difference in our communities, and we are honored to be a part of this wish.”
As part of a renewed three-year, $3 million alliance, each of the organization’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.
Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, Make-A-Wish is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world.
With the help of generous donors and more than 30,000 volunteers worldwide, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 280,000 wishes around the world since its inception. For more information, visit www.wish.org.
Above: Rachel started off her wish day with a manicure.
