A 13-year-old Make-A-Wish recipient asked for something more than a trip to Disney World or a new gaming console.
After Adeola ‘Abraham’ Olagbegi learned that he qualified as a recipient due to his rare blood disorder, he chose to feed the homeless in his hometown in Jackson, Mississippi. He hopes to continue to help them for many years.
Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children aged 2-18 who are suffering from critical illnesses. In his application, Abraham wrote: “I would like for the homeless people at Poindexter Park in Jackson to receive one hot meal a month every month for the rest of the year or for an entire year.”
The teen isn’t new to performing philanthropic acts. He and his family regularly fed the homeless before he was diagnosed in June 2020 with aplasticanemia.
“Before I got sick, me and my family would go feed the homeless at that park every month,” Abraham explained. “Since I became sick, my family had to stop doing it. I really want to do something impactful.”
Aplastic anemia, a rare bone marrow condition, is when too few blood cells are made for the body to function. Patients are more susceptible to infection and uncontrolled bleeding, and feel fatigued.
Abraham received a bone-marrow transplant in November 2020, as part of a nine month treatment. He was hospitalized for a month. He was unable to play sports with his friends or attend school. But the one thing he missed most was helping the homeless.
Months after his surgery, Abraham told WLBT he was “doing good” and that he had no plans of letting his condition get in the way of his goals.
“I am a person of hope, so when you come against a big mountain, you have to remember you have a big God,” Abraham told the outlet.
Doctors referred the teen to the Mississippi chapter of Make-A-Wish, and he used that as an opportunity to “turn something painful into something joyful.”
Miriam Olagbegi, Abraham’s mom, said that they were returning home from one his doctor appointments, when Abraham told her he would like to feed homeless people for his wish.
“I said, ‘Are you sure Abraham?” she recalled. “You could do a lot… You sure you don’t want a PlayStation?’”
The organization made good on Abraham’s wish and committed to feeding at least 80 people in need per month for a calendar year. The event, called “Abraham’s Table,” will be held every third Saturday until August 2022 at Poindexter Park.
Abraham said that homeless people would return to him after they get their plates. He would sing to them and than them, which is a gesture that warms Abraham’s heart.
The Make-A-Wish Mississippi chapter said Abraham’s wish was its “first philanthropic wish in our 20+ years of the chapter in the state.”
“This wish is definitely leaving a mark, not only because of the milestone it gave our chapter, but also meeting this family and knowing how the community can truly rally around our kids is just amazing,” said Linda Sermons, a Make-A-Wish Mississippi wish assistant.
Abraham’s mom would often tell him that “it’s a blessing to be a blessing,” forming part of his motivation to help people in need around him.
Knowing the message got through to her son melts Miriam’s heart.
“As parents, we could only hope to raise good, God-fearing, productive members of society,” she told CNN. “Sometimes we get things wrong and sometimes we get things right; so it’s nice to see when things go right.”
Abraham hopes to one day get food trucks and plants to start a nonprofit under the name “Abraham’s Table” to continue supporting people in need.
What a great young man! This story also reminds us that words leave a mark on our children, so let’s make sure to instill them only with valuable philosophies.
Learn more about Abraham’s Table in the video below.
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