A 16-year-old cancer survivor used his Make-A-Wish to donate electronics to the hospital where he received treatment to benefit children undergoing their own treatments.
“I was thinking of a bunch of wishes and one came up in my head – why not just give back? And that’s what I did,” said high school junior Mason Rockmore of Westfield, New Jersey, per News 12.
The cancer survivor used his Make-A-Wish “to help enrich the lives of his fellow pediatric patients who spend days, weeks and sometimes months at the hospital,” Make-A-Wish New Jersey wrote in a Facebook post.
“I got a bunch of electronics so the kids on the inpatient floor would not be super bored,” he told News 12.
On Tuesday, Make-A-Wish provided the pediatric oncology unit with electronics “including several tablets, Amazon Fire Sticks, Apple TV, an XBox, PS5, and two Nintendo Switches, along with TV and gaming subscriptions like Disney Plus, Netflix and game passes,” according to TAPinto Westfield.
Rockmore, who has been cancer-free for a little more than a year, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer, in February of 2020. He promptly started treatment which entailed spending three to four nights at a time in Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health pediatric oncology unit at Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital.
“It was pretty boring,” Rockmore told TAPinto Westfield. “When I was in the hospital, I’d be thinking about the treatments. There are some kids there for three months for a bone marrow transplant, and there’s not much to do.”
“How fitting it is for Mason’s wish to be granted on Giving Tuesday and amidst the giving season, bringing much needed joy to other children over the holidays and well into the future,” said Tom Weatherhall, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish New Jersey, per the outlet.
Weatherhall stated:
Mason wanted other pediatric patients being treated by our dear partners at Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health at Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, to have more access to TV, gaming systems and streaming services while they are at the hospital for days, weeks and even months – a reality many of our wish kids face.
Rockmore’s parents Lori and Eric were on hand for the ceremony and praised their son for his selflessness.
“We’re so proud of Mason for using this opportunity to help other kids like him,” Lori Rockmore told TAPinto Westfield. “Going through treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic was especially difficult. The kids in the inpatient unit are there with one parent and no visitors, and aren’t often able to even leave their rooms.”
“We experienced a lot of generosity here at the hospital as well, and we are happy and proud Mason wanted to pay that forward,” Eric Rockmore told News 12.
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