By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
Newspapers scream about the rapidly rising cost of medical care and the escalating prices of prescription drugs; about Medicare funds being dissipated and about the astronomical rises in medical malpractice insurance premiums. These are all matters of serious national concern, but there is an additional price we pay for illness that’s rarely mentioned and almost never addressed.
The Fairy Godmother Foundation, a Chicago based non-profit, has been working for the past five years to help alleviate the pain suffered by the families of adults who are terminally ill and whose quality of life has deteriorated to the point where it seems hardly worth continuing. The guiding force within this organization, based in donated space at Lincoln Park Hospital, is a dynamic Bonnie Tunick.
Bonnie, a 1985 graduate of Northwestern University Law School, spent 10 years practicing law. She’s also the president of a small publishing company called Jane’s Stories Press, which publishes material by women authors who are having difficulty finding an outlet for their writing. Bonnie also owns a travel Web site, traveloptions.travelogia.com, which is used to search the Internet for travel opportunities and bargains.
She’s also the author of a book and several short stories primarily dealing with women’s life experiences and “celebrating the extraordinary in ordinary women.” Her home is near the Lincoln Park Hospital office where she conducts the business of the Foundation.
Her interest in this effort arose when she faced the terminal illness of her father, to whom she was very close. Only a short three weeks after he was diagnosed with colon cancer, her father passed away. The shock Bonnie suffered from watching this illness take her father so quickly became the impetus for her efforts to promote the Foundation and its efforts to comfort others undergoing the same sort of life-experience.
Taking its lead from the better known Make a Wish Foundation, which fulfills the fantasy wishes of children facing life-threatening illnesses, the Fairy Godmother Foundation states its mission thus: “make wishes come true for loved ones facing terminal illness.” It strives to bring some measure of joy to persons over the age of 18 in their time of greatest need by turning dreams into reality. “Our goal is to ensure that those whose lives will be cut short by terminal illness (having a year or less to live) enjoy at least one moment of immeasurable happiness.”
To date the foundation has been able to fulfill more than 250 wishes. The typical wish recipient is a 40-year-old mother of two battling breast cancer, bankrupted by her medical illness, and wanting to make memories for her young children before she dies. The typical grant to a qualified recipient is about $4,000. This would include airfare, medical accommodations, per diem expenses and souvenirs. It does not include the cost of hotel rooms, rental cars, meals, entertainment, gift baskets and toys which the Foundation can usually get donated or at significantly discounted prices.
The foundation relies entirely on contributions. It has arranged to accept airline frequent flyer miles and vouchers which are then converted into tickets for those individuals who undergo the Foundation’s screening. This helps parents, for example, take their young children for an unforgettable adventure in Disneyland before the parent dies. Other wishes that have been fulfilled range from a simple request for a special pair of sneakers to a family birthday party, an airplane ride, or even Christmas in August because the grantee wouldn’t be able to survive until December.
Contributors to the Fairy Godmother Foundation might supply the necessary material to fulfill a wish or a cash contribution that goes into the Foundation’s basic fund. Contributions to the foundation can be made in cash, in the offer of in-kind goods and services, or by major credit cards.
Persons wanting to volunteer time as well as money are encouraged to call Bonnie to discuss ways to contribute to the Foundation’s programs. The address of the Foundation is 2020 Lincoln Park West, suite 37E, Chicago, IL 60614. The phone is (773) 388-1160, and the email address is info@fairygodmother.org.
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