PHOENIX (June 26, 2008) – Five children with life-threatening medical conditions whose unique sports-related wishes were granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® will be chronicled in the ESPN SportsCenter "My Wish" series from Sunday, June 29, through Thursday, July 3.

Each story and wish experience, taped and produced by ESPN’s award-winning Features Unit, will be the subject of a lengthy segment, generally debuting each day on the 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter.

ESPN Deportes’ SportsCenter also will present special Spanish-language editions of two stories from the series on Sunday, June 29, and Sunday, July 6.

The series, a collaborative effort between the Make-A-Wish Foundation, ESPN and Disney, will feature prominent sport figures – NFL All-Pro quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Indians Baseball Team, NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal of the Phoenix Suns, MLS and Mexican soccer star Cuauhtémoc Blanco, and 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones.

Emmy Award-winning reporter Chris Connelly is once again the “My Wish” reporter, interviewing the wish children and family members about the wishes and challenges they face living with a life-threatening medical condition.

Since 2006, “My Wish” has offered an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at the wish-granting experience and featured wish children participating in sports-related activities with athletes such as: Major League Baseball’s Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Todd Helton, the NBA’s Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, figure skating star Michelle Kwan, NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, and the NFL’s Tedy Bruschi, Drew Brees and Donovan McNabb. Please click here to access videos from previous “My Wish” segments.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM EACH WISH (Listed according to SportsCenter schedule)

Akeem Havens – Video games with Ben Roethlisberger (Sunday, June 29 at 11 a.m. ET)

• Age – 14; Hometown – Flowery Branch, Ga.; Condition – chronic respiratory failure
• Wish: To play video games with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
• Signed a one-day contract with the Steelers and received personalized No. 1 game jersey from Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney at a press conference
• Participated in the Steelers’ 11-on-11 drills – scored on a hand-off from Roethlisberger

Patrick Munroe – A day with champion thoroughbred Smarty Jones (Monday, June 30 at 6 p.m.)

• Age – 9; Hometown – Greenlawn, N.Y.; Condition – hydrocephalus
• Wish: To meet Smarty Jones
• Patrick, who is blind and hearing impaired, traveled to Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky to pet Smarty Jones and play with his foals
• Visited Churchill Downs to listen to the horses run and meet the jockeys

Alonso Fragoso – Playing baseball with the Cleveland Indians (Tuesday, July 1 at 6 p.m. – Fragoso’s wish will also be aired on ESPN Deportes’ Spanish-language SportsCenter Sunday, July 6)

• Age – 8 (7 when wish was granted) ; Hometown – Las Vegas, Nev.; Condition – lymphoma
• Wish: To be a Cleveland Indian for a day
• Spent a day with the Indians, hosted by MLB All-Stars Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez
• Wore personalized Indians uniform, had his own locker, took batting practice, shagged fly balls and ate pre-game meal with the team
• Delivered lineup card to umpire at home plate and threw out the first pitch
• Signed autographs for fans post-game at players’ entrance

Everardo Soto – Playing soccer with Chicago Fire’s Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Sunday, June 29, at 11 a.m. – Soto’s wish will debut on ESPN Deportes’ Spanish-language SportsCenter and Wednesday, July 2, at 6 p.m. on ESPN)

• Age – 14; Hometown – Houston; Condition – ganglioglioma (brain tumor)
• Wish: To meet MLS Chicago Fire star Cuauhtémoc Blanco (former Mexican National Team player)
• Traveled to Chicago with the Houston Dynamo on their team flight
• Joined Blanco for pre-game ceremonies on field, wearing personalized Chicago Fire gear
• Spent next morning with Blanco and Fire teammates at Toyota Park

Alexander Williams – Dunking with Shaquille O’Neal (Thursday, June 3 at 6 p.m.)

• Age – 9; Hometown – Mobile, Ala.; Condition – acute lymphocytic leukemia
• Wish: To meet NBA star Shaquille O’Neal of Phoenix Suns
• Picked up by O’Neal and they proceeded to a luxury hotel in Orlando for lunch
• Wore Phoenix Suns jersey and played a game of P-O-N-Y at a local gym against O’Neal
• Learned some NBA moves from O’Neal

“My Wish” first aired in July 2006 chronicling the wishes of 10 children, followed by five more original wish stories in June 2007. The critically acclaimed series won a Gold Medal at the 2007 New York Festival Awards for Outstanding Sports Special.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Born in 1980 when a group of caring individuals helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 67 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted more than 164,000 wishes in the United States since inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit www.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.

The Walt Disney Company is proud to be a longtime supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and uses its unique magic to make the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions a reality. During the past 27 years, Disney has continued to support the Foundation's mission, contributing more than $11 million in cash and in-kind donations annually. With more than 6,000 wishes granted each year, including visits to the Disney Parks, Disney Cruises, meeting Disney Characters, attending sporting events and visiting TV and movie sets, Disney-themed wishes continue to be the most popular requests by Make-A-Wish^® children.