A famous little boy: Adeola “Abraham” Olagbegi, received a life-saving gift for a bone marrow transplant. Then Abraham turned around and provided life-saving resources for the homeless in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi.
So began our “Feel Good Friday” story.
The 13-year-old got a wish and wanted a wish that could last. So, he decided to use it to feed the homeless for one year. pic.twitter.com/k8nG6BS55j
-CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) November 12, 2021
From CBS News:
Last year, 13-year-old Abraham Olagbegi (Abraham Olagbegi) found out that he was born with a rare blood disease and needed a bone marrow transplant. About a year later, he discovered better news: his transplant was successful and he was eligible to participate in Make-A-Wish, an organization that provides wishes for children with serious illnesses.
Abraham’s rare blood disease was called “Aplastic anemia“The body cannot produce enough new blood cells. The result is fatigue, which increases the risk of infection and hemophilia.
In Jackson’s local Abraham profile WLBT News, We learned that Abraham was diagnosed in June 2020 and received a bone marrow transplant in November 2020.
Abraham told WLBT,
“I had a transplant in November 2020, 10 months ago, so I did a good job.”
Putting it in context, here are thought-provoking facts about bone marrow donation Institute of Justice:
- This year, more than 130,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a serious blood disease.
- This year, leukemia (a type of blood cancer) will affect 44,000 Americans, including 3,500 children. It will kill about half of adults and about 700 children.
- Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer.
- Among patients requiring bone marrow transplantation, only 30% of families have a matching donor.
- The remaining 70% must hope to find a compatible stranger through national registration.
- At any given time, approximately 7,500 Americans are actively searching the national registry for unrelated donors.
- Only 2% of the population is on the national register.
- A large number of people in the National Bone Marrow Registry could not be found or would not donate when requested. The percentages of available and willing donors are: 65 for whites; 47% for Hispanics; 44% for Asians; 34% of African Americans.
- African-American patients have a 25% chance of finding unrelated donors.
- If an African American finds a match in the registry, there is an 80% chance that the identified donor is the only match in the registry.
Therefore, it was a miracle that Abraham was able to find a donor and receive a transplant in the same year.
Abraham told WLBT his thoughts on making a wish:
[T]The 13-year-old and his family provide food for the homeless every month to ensure that they eat hot meals before being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
“It’s always a good thing to do this, and that’s why I’ve done it since I was a kid.
So, I went back to my roots and did what I was taught to do,” said Adeola’Abraham’ Olagbegi.
His mothers Miriam Olagberi and Abraham provided CBS with a more complete story. Abraham had an idea, not just a wish, but a lasting wish. He decided to share this with Miriam.
“I remember we went home after one of his doctor appointments and he said,’Mom, I thought about it, I really want to feed the homeless,'”
Abraham’s mother Miriam Olagbegi told CBS News. “I said,’Are you sure it’s Abraham? You can do many things…Are you sure you don’t want a PlayStation?'”
Unlike many teenage boys, PlayStation did not appeal to Abraham. He was convinced that he wanted to provide food for the homeless.
Miriam said that Abraham’s father also thought it was a great idea. “So, of course, we will not miss such an opportunity because we always try to instill dedication in our children.”
To pay tribute to Miriam Olagbegi, she not only planted seeds in her children to give to others, but also encouraged Abraham to express his desire to give back. In a world where selfish and even cowardly young people have fully demonstrated through TikTok and other social media, it is wonderful that this suffering young man wants to alleviate the suffering of others.
In September, Make-A-Wish helped Abraham organize a free food distribution event in Jackson, Mississippi. Food and supplies were donated by local companies. Abraham said that they eventually supported about 80 people that day.
But Abraham’s wish was not fulfilled. Make-A-Wish has pledged to help Abraham feed the homeless in Jackson by August 2022! Linda of the Mississippi branch of Wish Wish said that this was their first charity gift in the state in more than 20 years.
Abraham expressed his great heart and great faith with these words:
“I am a man of hope, so when you face a mountain, you must remember that you have a great god,” Adola’Abraham’ Olagbeji said.
“It is a blessing to see people full. I will be happy when I leave.”
May the world produce more mothers like Miriam Olagbegi and raise children like Adeola “Abraham” Olagbegi.
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