CLEVELAND — When you buy a ticket for Home for the Holidays, there isn’t just the possibility of winning a home; you can also grant a child’s wish through Make-A-Wish.
Make A Wish has been granting life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses since 1983. They serve children in all 300 counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana and receive referrals from 14 different hospitals.
For 13-year-old Aidan McCabe of Shaker Heights, his wish went toward food — but not for him.
The self-proclaimed "foodie" elected to divert his wish to University Hospitals' Food For Life Market earlier this year.
"That's always a big deal for a lot of kids, but I didn't really want to use it for myself," he said. "I felt strongly that I wanted to help people with food insecurities and who needed good nutrition to fight illness and disease."
When he was just 10 days old, doctors diagnosed Aidan with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes problems with breathing and digestion.
"I have to eat more than a usual kid my age to gain more weight because of the way my body handles and processes food," he explained.
"People with cystic fibrosis don't digest food like people without cystic fibrosis and they need a lot of extra calories to get through their day to grow and thrive," mother Cari McCabe added.
In total, the magic of his wish morphed into a $5,000 donation, which a spokesperson for UH said will go toward helping more than 200 patients in need of food.
"The funding was earmarked for patients with pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis to help them obtain the food they need to improve their health," Cari McCabe said. "He's been through a lot and he will continue to go through a lot in his lifetime and I kind of wanted him to have something for himself, but that wasn't the way he wanted to go."
To learn more about the builders, the Make-A-Wish foundation or purchase tickets online, click here.
The drawing is scheduled for Dec. 31.
