By Brent Goodrich

Whatever the sport, 13-year-old John has always loved joining in and competing with his friends. He especially likes to go swimming with his buddies at the YMCA in his Mississippi hometown.

John’s sports-filled lifestyle took a drastic turn, though, when he was diagnosed with vasculitis, a rare disease involving the inflammation of blood vessels. Because of his condition and his mother quitting work to help care for him, John had to stop making his regular visits to the YMCA.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi arrived at just the right time. When asked for his wish, John knew exactly how to make a splash – to go swimming with his friends at the YMCA.

John invited 15 of his friends and family members to join him for a dip in the pool and pizza party at the YMCA. Make-A-Wish staff members, wish granters and several volunteers from UnitedHealthcare greeted John when he arrived in a white stretch limo, and then it was off to the pool for waves of fun.

Before his party was done, John received a surprise that will keep his wish going for years. He was presented with a five-year family membership to the YMCA, including swimming lessons and summer camps for teenage boys. Now that’s a wish that keeps John in the swim!

The UnitedHealth Group Wishes program has been established to enable the company to grant wishes like John’s through the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s 67 chapters in the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico. UnitedHealth Group is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to making health care work better. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves approximately 70 million individuals nationwide.