WTOP News’ partnership with Make-A-Wish is personal
April is World Wish Month. WTOP has teamed up with Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic to spotlight the amazing kids and volunteers that are part of this organization. To view our coverage, learn more about how you can become a WishMaker and make a donation, visit our Make-A-Wish hub.
The partnership with Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic is more than just important to WTOP News — it’s personal for several members of our staff, which includes a Wish mom and two siblings of Wish kids.
Account manager Alyssa Hinshaw’s daughter was diagnosed with 1p36 deletion syndrome when she was only 6 months old. This rare condition is estimated to affect 1 in 5,000 newborns in the U.S.
Hinshaw’s daughter, Vera, who had a deep love for Donald Duck, was granted a wish to Disney World.
“It was a light during a real time of darkness,” Hinshaw said. “For a few days, we were able to escape our reality and go have fun and be treated like rock stars.”
Hinshaw describes her now-17-year-old daughter as a warrior who has never lost her sense of humor.
During Make-A-Wish day at WTOP, news director Bill McFarland spoke with Wish alum Lyndzi Young about his own recent trip to Japan, after hearing she wanted to visit Tokyo.
McFarland’s connection to Make-A-Wish started when his 12-year-old sister was diagnosed with leukemia.
Only a year older than his sister, McFarland said he looks back at that time in his life and thinks of his mom. He said his mom waited tables to provide for him and his brother and sister, and was never the same after they lost his sister, Colleen.
The last family vacation they all took together was at Disney, thanks to Make-A-Wish. McFarland said he looks back at their trip at Disney, when she was able to think of herself as not just a cancer patient.
“To see her enjoy the happiest place on earth, a 12-year-old girl going through Disney World, going to Cinderella’s castle,” McFarland said.
While Disney World is a popular Wish destination, WTOP associate producer and reporter Grace Newton smiled thinking of what Make-A-Wish did for her sister, who was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer at the age of 14.
“My sister’s dream at 15 years old was to go to New Zealand,” Newton said.
The Newtons are huge “Lord of The Rings” fans, and Make-A-Wish made sure they had a trip they would never forget.
“So they reached out to Peter Jackson and the people filming ‘The Hobbit,’ and they sent us out there, and we went to the set and we got to meet all of the stars,” Newton said.
Another big smile came across Newton’s face as she spoke about the picture she had of herself and her sister with actor Orlando Bloom.
WTOP’s relationship with Make-A-Wish means a lot to Newton for everything they did for her sister, who has been in remission for 13 years.
“It’s magical what they are doing,” Newton said.
Another person thrilled to be working with Make-A-Wish is director of news and programming Julia Ziegler, who has worked at WTOP since 2003 and also has a personal connection to a Wish alum.
“I have a very good friend of mine whose daughter is a Make-A-Wish recipient. She was a childhood cancer survivor,” Ziegler said.
When an opportunity came to work with Make-A-Wish, Ziegler said, “Sign me up.”
“Part of what we do in the news business every day is to help people, and that comes in many different forms. If donating some airtime allows Make-A-Wish to get those donations coming in and to raise some money and help even one more kid, it’s all worth it,” Ziegler said.
WTOP Vice President and General Manager Joel Oxley agreed. He credited his 30+ year career at WTOP to working with groups like Make-A-Wish.
“The work they do is absolutely incredible. It’s life changing. I’m just proud that we can help,” Oxley said.