Bel Aire School fourth-grader’s Make-A-Wish dream is granted
Rhett Krawitt, a leukemia survivor who became an outspoken advocate for vaccinations, to meet with WHO infectious-disease team in South Africa
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the Nov. 1, 2017, edition of The Ark. It earned second place for Best Education/Literacy Story in the National Newspaper Association’s 2018 Better Newspapers Contest.
By JEFF DEMPSEY
jdempsey@thearknewspaper.com
Nine-year-old Rhett Krawitt, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at 2½ and became an advocate for vaccinations in public schools, was surprised Monday morning at Bel Aire Elementary School with the news that the Make-A-Wish Foundation is granting his wish to meet with the infectious-disease team at the World Health Organization in Pretoria, South Africa.
Rhett’s fourth-grade classmates gathered Oct. 30 in the school’s multipurpose room while Rhett was kept busy — and in the dark — elsewhere.
While awaiting his arrival, his classmates were told Rhett’s story. Dr. Mignon Lo, Rhett’s oncologist, shared some of what he went through. She reminded them of the “special piece of spaghetti” he had coming out of his chest while he was a student at Reed Elementary School, an IV that allowed him to receive medicine without the need for frequent shots.
“Thank you for being his friends and for being here to help him celebrate,” she said.
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, was on hand to give the proclamation and to say a few words about Rhett, who sent him a letter just a few weeks ago. Huffman said it “speaks to Rhett’s character” that he would choose a wish that meant doing something for others as well as being a great experience for him.
“It speaks to his desire to make sure that kids all over the world have (access to) the same lifesaving medical care that he has had,” Huffman said.
Before the ceremony began, Rhett’s mother, Jodi, said the family has been working with Make-A-Wish for several years. She said the family understood Rhett’s wish, to meet with doctors in the field, was a little outside the norm.
“We found out this summer they were granting the wish, but we’d been working with them for a long time to try to work out the details,” she said. “We understood it would be hard to get him access to the WHO, out in the field, because that’s just not something they normally do. We knew we had to be patient, and we were willing to wait as long as it took.”
Jodi said she and Rhett’s father, Carl, did their best to keep the wish’s granting a surprise — even when that meant getting him immunization shots for an overseas trip. Thankfully, she said, as an advocate for vaccinations and immunizations, Rhett didn’t blink.
Jodi said after all that Rhett has been through, she and Carl feel a sense of accomplishment at reaching this point.
“It’s really satisfying, and we’re thrilled for Rhett, obviously,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for him.”
When the moment came and Rhett walked into the room, the crowd of classmates, teachers and local dignitaries erupted into applause. Even then, he said after, he didn’t know what was going on.
“I was completely surprised,” Rhett said. “My parents just told me we were having a special lunch at school today and I should dress up.”
Rhett and his family will make the trip in a couple of weeks, and he said he can’t wait to leave.
“I’m very happy,” he said. “I’m most excited to see the WHO.”
Rhett’s journey
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of leukemia in children, develops when the body produces too many abnormal white blood cells. Instead of fighting infection and protecting against disease, these cells overtake healthy white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets, interfering with organ function. Rhett, whose fight against cancer began at a young age, could not receive standard childhood vaccinations at the time and was thus reliant on herd immunity for protection.
He became a staunch advocate for vaccinations as well as a supporter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Rhett’s advocacy amid the Disneyland measles outbreak in 2014–2015 brought state officials to Bel Aire for a Reed district board meeting on the subject, including Sen. Richard Pan, the author of Senate Bill 277 to remove the personal-beliefs exemption for vaccinations in schools — and it took Rhett to Sacramento to testify at the state capitol in favor of the bill.
In an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, Rhett was credited as playing a key role in the legislation’s successful passage.
In his application to Make-A-Wish, Rhett said he wanted to visit the WHO in South Africa to learn more about vaccines and infectious diseases. During his interview, he demonstrated a keen understanding of the issue, presenting facts and figures on the work the WHO is doing. In addition to visiting the WHO in South Africa, Rhett said he wanted to “bring medicines and vaccines to poor people in remote places so that they don’t die of infectious diseases.”
On his trip, Rhett will spend a day in a province outside Pretoria, visit a vaccination clinic and observe vaccination activities taking place there. He will be accompanied on the trip by his parents and 11-year-old sister, Annesley.
In addition to having his wish granted, Rhett was also presented with a certificate of recognition from the California Sate Legislature for his advocacy on vaccinations. State Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, said he remembered meeting Rhett during the Reed district board’s vaccinations hearing in the same room at Bel Aire and how passionate Rhett was even then to advocate for change.
“With your leadership, we were able to get legislation passed,” Levine said. “I could not be more proud of you as you go off on this (trip).”
Reed district Superintendent Nancy Lynch said the district found out the wish would be granted a couple of weeks ago and began helping to coordinate the reveal. She said she was glad Rhett’s class got to be a part of the moment.
“It’s great for Rhett and for his classmates,” she said, “because they went through a lot of this experience with him.”
Carl Krawitt told the other fourth-graders at the assembly he didn’t want them to think of Rhett as special, that he is “just another fourth-grader” like them. The point, he said, is that every kid should feel they can make a positive impact on the lives of others, and he encouraged them to look for ways to do it.
“We’re just incredibly grateful to all the people here today who work to help other people,” he said.
Jeff Dempsey is The Ark’s production editor and the youth and sports reporter. Reach him at 415–944–4561.
