(BPT) – By Jeannie Finkel, Cetera Financial GroupBefore the pandemic, many industries resisted the idea that work could be done primarily from home. They hadn’t fully suited up for extensive remote work. That left many scrambling last spring, and emplo…
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(BPT) – A child’s diagnosis with a critical illness is devastating for their entire family. And for families now coping with a global health crisis, the challenges are even greater. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Make-A-Wish chapters nationwide have faced a record number of wishes still waiting to be granted, because any involving air travel or large gatherings have been postponed for everyone’s health and safety. Now, the foundation is gearing up to grant every pending wish as soon as it is safe to do so.
Because of these challenging circumstances, Make-A-Wish has had to think creatively about new ways to bring hope and joy to Make-A-Wish kids during these unpredictable times. Not surprisingly, as wish kids are dealing with the difficulties of a critical illness while staying at home, there has been an exponential increase in wish requests related to gaming.
For example, wish kid Preston spends his free time conquering popular games like Fortnite and Minecraft, and he is always searching for new ways to challenge himself. No stranger to overcoming challenges, Preston was diagnosed with a congenital heart disorder before he was born. He required three different surgeries from his infancy through his childhood, plus numerous procedures to monitor his condition.
“He spent the first month in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, where he was hooked up to several different leads monitoring pressures in his heart,” said his mother, Sarah. “We were not able to hold him for the first three weeks of his life.”
Fast forward to now: Preston celebrates his 13th birthday with family and friends, plus a very special surprise from his favorite store – GameStop. Preston was overwhelmed when his wish for a Sony PlayStation 5 (PS5) console was granted by GameStop and Make-A-Wish, making it his “best birthday yet.”
“When COVID hit, gaming was a way for him to de-stress from remote learning and play with friends he could no longer see,” Sarah explained. “It’s still very much his virtual getaway from the life we are all having to live. What this means to him is being able to create, have fun and interact with people through the internet from the comfort of his room.”
The benefits of gaming for wish kids
For kids like Preston, video games provide meaningful emotional and psychological benefits.
Since the pandemic began, shopping spree and electronics-related wishes quickly became the top most requested wishes for the foundation – which receives wishes related to GameStop an average of 10 times a week.
GameStop powers up to help
In response, GameStop has answered the call. As soon as it was safe to fundraise in-store, the company launched their Change Round-Up campaign at checkout to support Make-A-Wish and two other charities. The gaming retailer also donated $30,000 for shopping sprees, supporting around 75 wishes. In addition, GameStop granted 15 PS5 and Xbox Series X console wishes at a time when the foundation could not locate them anywhere due to international shortages. During the holidays, GameStop store leaders nationwide called wish kids at home to let them know their wish for these highly coveted game consoles were coming true.
“The day Preston’s wish was granted was a day he will always remember,” said Sarah. “Thanks to GameStop and Make-A-Wish, Preston is able to take his mind off of his illness and be a normal kid.”
GameStop has raised over $7.5 million and has helped grant over 3,700 wishes. The anticipation of a wish can be a powerful motivator for kids as they face many challenges. These wishes help kids not only smile again, but give them renewed strength and confidence to keep going.
Learn how you can help Make-A-Wish grant more wishes to children with critical illnesses at wish.org.
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(BPT) – When we hear that someone has had a stem cell transplant, we imagine the great potential and possibilities for recovery occurring behind hospital walls. We don’t, however, imagine them walking out from the stem cell transplant with the potential for developing a serious complication, that may include a long, winding road full of questions-the first being: what is graft-versus-host disease?
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a rare condition that can occur after the transfer of stem cells from a donor to a patient. These donated cells initiate an immune response that attacks the transplant recipient’s organs, which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. GVHD can be expressed in chronic and acute forms, both capable of affecting multiple organ systems including the skin, gastrointestinal (digestive) tract, and liver. These patients often experience a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from excessive fatigue, emotional distress, and other chronic symptoms that may impact daily life.
Sourcing input from the community: The Incyte Ingenuity Award Program
Recognizing the challenges those affected by GVHD face, Incyte created the Incyte Ingenuity Award program. This program aims to support the US GVHD community by funding novel initiatives that address these challenges and improve the lives of patients and support caregivers.
Now in its second year, Incyte has reopened and expanded the award program to include two novel initiatives-one awarding up to $35,000, and another up to $100,000 a year. Winning projects will successfully address challenges faced by and nurture partnership within the GVHD community.
Initiatives for both awards must be completed within one year and meaningfully address the needs of the patients and caregivers within the GVHD community. Ingenuity being its namesake, applicants are charged with developing creative, collaborative, and original solutions to problems this community faces-whether that be on a daily basis or on a larger, fundamental scale.
Answer the call: Lend your team’s talents to the GVHD community
Submissions are welcome from US non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, and patient, policy and caregiver organizations, or healthcare providers and mid-level/junior faculty from healthcare organizations who apply on behalf of their organization. Individuals and leading-edge companies are encouraged to apply, but must partner with a non-profit or healthcare facility (such as: hospitals, academic research centers, etc.) to be eligible.
Visit www.IncyteIngenuityAwards.com to review the eligibility criteria and apply. The application window is now open, and will close June 30, 2021. Accept the challenge and apply now!
Sponsored by Incyte Corporation. MAT-INC-11071 01/21
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When you search for “content writers” on LinkedIn, you’re bound to come across an incredibly diverse range of professionals.
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Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools) is a free platform for anyone with a website to monitor how Google views their site and optimize its organic presence. That includes viewing your referring domains, mobile site performance, rich search results, and highest-traffic queries and pages.
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Using a video editing app is critical for creating a winning video marketing strategy.
And if you’re reading this blog post, chances are you already know you should incorporate more video content into your marketing, especially after the rise of remote living.
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In 2005, when I was 10 years old, a kid from my neighborhood was bear hugging a fallen tree trunk that bridged across our creek and yelled, “I better not see this on YouTube!”
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We are happy to announce that cPanel, L.L.C. has released an update for EasyApache 4! Take a look at some highlights below, and then join us on Discord or Reddit to talk about this update and much more. 2021-2-24 ea-nodejs10 EA-9587: Update ea-nod…
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Learn about reusable blocks in this Gutenberg tutorial.
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(BPT) – The idea of making ‘extra’ money is nothing new, but the ways to make money in the gig economy have evolved. For example, a recent increase in demand for restaurant delivery drivers, grocery shoppers, delivery services and other service positio…
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