SAN ANTONIO — Wild for Wishes is a night of fun with lots of animal encounters, food and entertainment at the San Antonio Zoo. It’s also a fundraiser to help children suffering from pancreatitis.
The event is happening at the San Antonio Zoo on Saturday, April 30 between 6 and 11 p.m.
You can buy tickets right now on Rebecca’s Wish's website here.
The event is an opportunity to help thousands of children suffering from a debilitating disease with no known cure. Brandeis High School graduate Rebecca Taylor has lived with it most of her life, and it’s why she started the non-profit Rebecca’s Wish.
Now, she’s inviting all of San Antonio to join her fight with a night out at the San Antonio Zoo.
Taylor has big dreams, and it’s not money or fame.
“My wish was just to be able to eventually cure pancreatitis," she said.
Speaking from her dorm room at Texas A&M University, Taylor said she was just discharged from the hospital days prior.
“Over 1,500 days in the hospital since I was 7-years-old, checked into a hospital," she said.
She’s juggling her days between the hospital and school because she has big plans for the future. "Studying biomedical engineering -- I want to be a medical researcher so I can cure pancreatitis," Taylor said. All while dealing with a rare neurological autoimmune disorder that attacked her organs, resulting in pediatric acute pancreatitis.
Taylor went into major surgery seven years ago, receiving a transplant.
"The transplant removed my pancreas, gall bladder, spleen, duodenum and the bile ducts. And after the transplant, I had removed my colon, and my appendix," she said.
Rebecca's first attack came when she was just 7-years-old.
“I don't remember what it's like to be without pain anymore.”
KENS 5 anchor Sarah Forgany shares her full interview with Taylor here:
Her mom, Christyn, serving as the President of Rebecca’s Wish, recalled the struggle to get medical help.
"What is known for the pancreas is very little, and we hope to change that by starting at grass roots levels, going in and changing the medical school books, changing training,” Christyn said, adding, “We started the first pediatric trained endoscopic program through Rebecca's Wish paired with University Hospital and Children's Hospital of San Antonio. We're training these doctors and we're planting them across the U.S."
Today, the non-profit is reaching all corners of the country, starting a first-of-its kind pediatric pancreatitis program, helping children likeTaylor.
"Our estimate right now is about 100,000 children in the United States are diagnosed annually,” Taylor said.
That’s why they’ve joined with the San Antonio Zoo to host Wild for Wishes, a special fundraising event that raises money for a summer camp that would help children from all over the country.
"A lot of these kids turn to suicide and make suicide attempts because they don't feel like they have hope,” Christyn said, “We want to be able to provide at Rebecca's wish not only financial care, and medical care, but emotional support, and let them feel very loved."
Wild for Wishes is sure to be a night of fun. You can click here for tickets and for more information about Rebecca's Wish.