Cancer Survivor Gets Presidential Wish Granted
A 10-year-old cancer survivor recently got his presidential wish granted.
Carter Beckhard-Suozzi of New York was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma in May of last year. After months of chemo therapy and surgery, the boy beat cancer.
Before Beckhard-Suozzi beat the disease, he and his family were visited by representatives of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Initially Beckhard-Suozzi had no ideas as what to wish for, however according to his mother, Jane, he thought of a wish months later.
“He said, ‘Mom, I figured it out. I want to meet President Jimmy Carter.’ When I asked why, he said, ‘We have three things in common. We have the same name. We both have survived cancer and we both love helping people.’”
The former President Carter, who announced in March that he no longer needed treatment for the melanoma he was diagnosed with in 2015, met with the boy this past Monday. The pair spoke for 30 minutes regarding their battles against the disease, as well as the president’s experiences over his 91 years.
The meeting ended with the two Carters posing for a selfie, and the president inscribing an autograph for the youngster.
Beckhard-Suozzi described the meeting as such: “It was more me asking him and he had stories behind each question, which was really cool to hear because it’s not like you get to hear something like that every day,” he said. “He fought segregation and wanted to make peace so he never fired a gun while he was in office and also he wanted to help civil rights.”
Former President Carter released his own statement, which read in part, “He is a fine young man, and we share much more than a name in common, especially our success in overcoming cancer. I know Carter will grow up to do great things.”
Beckhard-Suozzi’s mother spoke on the meeting as well, saying, “It’s just been incredibly uplifting to be able to experience a trip like this and be free from everything Carter has been going through, and to meet President Carter and everything he’s done for this world, we were just in awe and the more we learned, we were more in awe.”
