Thirteen-year-old Adeola “Abraham” Olagbegi was given a wish at the Make-A-Wish foundation’s local chapter in Mississippi. After a successful bone marrow transplant, the teen fulfilled his desire to feed homeless people for a year.
According to ESSENCE, in June 2020, Olagbegi was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare and life-threatening blood disorder. The disease can develop at any age, causing the body to produce fewer blood cells than average. However, his survival rate was at-risk due to the extended bone marrow damage it can cause.
Olagbegi shared his thoughts on the hardship he planned to face during that time. “I am a person of hope, so when you come against a big mountain, you have to remember you have a big God,” he said in an interview with WLBT.
After his transplant in November 2020, the teen’s wish had come true by founding Abraham’s table, a service that provides meals for the homeless every Saturday.
Olagbegi partnered with volunteers in Jackson’s Poindexter Park and distributed meals to those in need. The teen plans to provide meal services for next year.
“We were excited this is our first philanthropic wish in our 20+ years of the chapter in the state — a huge milestone for us, but also this is the first meal that Abraham is able to serve,” said Linda Sermons; Make A Wish Mississippi.
The 13-year-old’s parents knew their son had a heart of gold and loved to help others. So before he was diagnosed with the life-threatening disease, Abraham and his family would feed the homeless every month to ensure that they had a hot meal, WLBT reports. “It was always a good thing to do, and that’s what I grew up doing,” he said. “So, I go back to my roots to do what I was taught to do.”
Once the family learned of Olagbegi’s diagnosis, they decided to focus on his health. Since September, Abraham’s Table has provided homeless citizens with hot meals due to one young man’s will to make a difference, per WLBT.
“It’s such a beautiful example of how one kid has been able to unite an entire community,” Make-A-Wish spokesperson Jamie Sandys told CNN. “Between the businesses that have donated food and the people who have received food, Abraham’s wish has directly impacted hundreds of people at this point,” Sandys said.
The teen’s mother, Miriam Olagbegi, said this experience had taught them “valuable life lessons” that will impact them for the rest of their lives.
“As parents, we could only hope to raise good, God-fearing, productive members of society,” Olagbegi told CNN. “Sometimes we get things wrong, and sometimes we get things right, so it’s nice to see when things go right.”
The teen says he is highly committed to Abraham’s Table and plans to turn it into a nonprofit organization that will impact people for years to come.
