Munter’s Magic: US Ambassador grants 3 terminal children’s wishes

About 50 other children have received gifts so far.

KARACHI: The US Ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, and his wife, Dr Marilyn Wyatt, made the wishes of three children suffering from life threatening diseases come true on Monday.

A ceremony was held at the residence of the US consul general, William Martin, where the children accepted the gifts with alacrity. Amina Khatoon, who is an eight-year-old girl suffering from cancer, received a doll along with a doll house that she had been longing for. Rassil Maula, who is a six-year-old afflicted by Thalassemia, got the battery-powered motorbike he wanted. Shabana, a sixteen-year-old who is also battling Thalassemia, had wished for a TV set. She was all smiles when her wish was granted. “My parents can’t afford a television set and that is why I made this wish,” she said.

Ambassador Munter said that the USAID was supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation Pakistan with a grant to support the wishes of young children suffering for various illnesses.”We are giving some hope to each child,” he said. “We are inspired by the courage demonstrated by these children.” The ambassador also highlighted the role of USAID in supporting and initiating development projects in the country, especially in the health, education and improved governance sector.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation Pakistan presented the “2010 International Impact Award” to the ambassador to recognise the US government’s support in granting the wishes to 50 Pakistani children.

The US consul general, William Martin said that he was glad that he was hosting the event for the second time at his residence. “It is always good to have children in the house,” he said. He promised to keep on holding such events in the future so that joy could be brought to the lives of many other children. Last July, he had hosted another child Iqra Gulzar, who wished to be a princess for a day. Gulzar suffers from chronic heart disease.

The secretary general of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, requested that the grant to his organization be doubled so that more wishes could be made true. He also requested the ambassador to support the organisation’s television campaign through advertisements.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th,  2011.