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MSU student returns the favor to Make-A-Wish

October 13, 2016
<p>MSU Stars club president and neuroscience senior Jack Pfeiffer&nbsp;smiles for a photo at the Grammy's. Pfeiffer was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation because of his&nbsp;Hodgkin’s lymphoma&nbsp;diagnosis. Photo courtesy of Jack Pfeiffer.&nbsp;</p>

MSU Stars club president and neuroscience senior Jack Pfeiffer smiles for a photo at the Grammy's. Pfeiffer was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation because of his Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis. Photo courtesy of Jack Pfeiffer. 

Founded in 2002, MSU Stars for Make-A-Wish is the MSU chapter of Make-A-Wish Foundation, which raises money for children facing life-threatening diseases.

“It’s definitely been around longer than we have,” MSU Stars club president and neuroscience senior Jack Pfeiffer.

At the age of 16, Pfeiffer was granted a wish himself. 

He had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that causes cells in the lymphatic system to grow abnormally. Without treatment, it can possibly spread beyond the lymphatic system and compromise the body’s ability to fight infections as it progresses, according to the Mayo Clinic's website.

For Pfeiffer, being able to give back to the Make-A-Wish Foundation is special, because of the wish he was granted. 

“When you first get (the) cancer diagnosis, it’s really challenging,” Pfeiffer said. “You get to hear, ‘Oh, I get this wish coming up,' it gives you something to take your mind off the other things that are happening to you.”

Pfeiffer’s wish was to go to the Grammy’s — Make-A-Wish did just that — flying Pfeiffer and his family from Grand Rapids, Mich. to California.

“We got to sit on the red carpet, we had some day excursions like we got to Universal Studios and they gave us front of the line passes for all the rides,” Pfeiffer said. “They really gave us celebrity treatment.”

Pfeiffer was also able to see the Grammy rehearsals and meet some of the celebrities who attended the award show.

“As celebrities were walking down the red carpet they would come over to me and the three other Make-A-Wish kids and introduce themselves to us,” Pfeiffer said. “Make-A-Wish really goes all out, and it just means a lot for me to be able to repay them for all the awesome things they were able to do for me.”

One of the club’s biggest events happened this past weekend, which involved selling painted pumpkins on Grand River Avenue to raise money.

MSU Stars for Make-A-Wish also has bar fundraisers, which includes a Halloween costume contest at Rick’s American Cafe in East Lansing the Thursday night before Halloween.

“We try do things that are accessible to all the club members as well as can benefit the organization in the most profitable way for the kids,” vice president neuroscience junior Nick Olden said.

Pfeiffer joined the club his sophomore year and ran for the club’s executive board his junior year, eventually ending up as the current president.

“I had some interest in helping out and doing some fundraising,” Pfeiffer said. “As the years went by I tried to get more involved.”

Olden was introduced to the club during his freshman year at MSU.

“I was very close friends with the then-president and vice president and I turned out to be treasurer my sophomore year,” Olden said.

Make-A-Wish foundation exists on other college campus. Other locations include: Western Michigan University, the University of Michigan and Central Michigan University, Pfeiffer said.

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