With 50 sports-themed wishes fulfilled since the series began in 2006, the ESPN “My Wish” Series returns to SportsCenter for its 10th year starting Sunday, July 19.
This year’s series of five wishes will feature one of the NFL’s most storied teams, a record-setting U.S. Olympian and an MLB National League MVP as they fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Working together with Make-A-Wish, ESPN produces feature segments on the wishes for airing on SportsCenter, with the first wish debuting in the 11 p.m. ET edition on Sunday. The remaining four will premier in the 6 p.m. SportsCenter Monday-Thursday, July 20-24, with a one-hour special featuring highlights of all five wishes airing Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
As he has done since the beginning of the series, Chris Connelly will host the “My Wish” series on SportsCenter, including a series compilation airing in the morning edition of the program on Saturday, July 25.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JraDfXi00Ek&feature=youtu.be
The five ESPN “My Wish” on SportsCenter segments for 2015 include:
- Sunday, July 19 (11 p.m. SportsCenter) – San Francisco 49ers: Anthony Pineda, a 14-year-old from San Bernardino, Calif., who has been battling leukemia, wants to spend time with the 49ers and get a jersey signed for his father figure who recently died after a sudden illness.
- Monday, July 20 (6 p.m.) – Michael Phelps: Sixteen-year-old Hailey Cannaday of Clintonville, Ohio, hasn’t let osteosarcoma affect her dreams of swimming in college. With her Olympic idol, she gets a tour of the U.S. training facility and makes a splash in the pool.
- Tuesday, July 21 (6 p.m.) – WWE Superstar John Cena: Seven-year-old Kenneth “KJ” Harmon of Orlando, Fla., is battling end stage renal disease. He heads to Washington, D.C., to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of WWE from Cena.
- Wednesday, July 22 (6 p.m.) – Andrew McCutchen: Sean Campbell, 10, of Leonardtown, Md., born with a serious heart defect, gets to spend time with his favorite Pittsburgh Pirates player.
- Thursday, July 23 (6 p.m.) – Maya Moore: Even suffering from Lupus with life-threatening complications hasn’t quelled the dreams of 14-year-old Ariya Smith of Thornton, Col., who hopes to someday play in the WNBA. She’s gets one-on-one practice time with the Minnesota Lynx star and is a guest of honor at the team’s home game.
All features will re-air multiple times on other editions of SportsCenter. Disney, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, including ESPN, has supported Make-A-Wish for three decades.
ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH®
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true has positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illness, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen the entire family. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, serving children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 27,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 37 minutes. It has granted more than 254,000 wishes since its inception in 1980; more than 14,200 in 2014 alone. Visit Make-A-Wish at www.wish.org to learn more.
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Media contact: David Scott, david.r.scott@espn.com
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