Young Man Uses His "Make-A-Wish" to Give Back to the Homeless

Abraham Olagbegi was diagnosed with a rare blood disease at birth, but it wasn't until he was 12 that things came to a head and doctors told him that without a bone marrow transplant, the disease could turn deadly. Within a year, he had the transplant and an intense round of chemotherapy and has a promising prognosis, but this story doesn't end there. 

Because of his illness, Abraham qualified for Make-A-Wish, and he wanted to use his wish to help others.

Growing up, Abraham and his family regularly volunteered to help feed the homeless in his community, so naturally, his wish was to continue the work. He told his mother that with his wish he wanted to feed the homeless a hot meal once a month for a year. 

On the third Thursday of every month, Abraham and the Make-A-Wish Mississippi chapter coordinate with local organizations and businesses to serve 80 hot meals to the homeless in Jackson's Poindexter Park. This month will be the third installation of "Abraham's Table."

"When the homeless people get the plate, some of them would come back and sing to us and thank us," Abraham told CBS News. "It just really feels good, it warms our hearts—and my parents always taught us that it’s a blessing to be a blessing."

"We were excited," Linda Sermons, an assistant with Make-A-Wish Mississippi said during the first event in September. "This is our first philanthropic wish in our 20-plus years of the chapter in the state. [It's] a huge milestone for us, but also this is the first meal that Abraham is able to serve."

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