A Mother’s Wish supports The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Stem Cell Research Team

 A Mother’s Wish partnered with CHOP’s Doctors to increase their stem cell research programs in hopes that perhaps one day that could be used to cure this disease.

 We decided the best option is with Dr. Kathryn Hamilton and her team at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She understands how epithelial stem cells from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) behave differently than stem cells from patients without IBD. If they understand these disease specific differences in stem cells, they can develop new therapies that can support restoration of damaged intestinal tissue which will help future IBD patients.

 Together, we are hopeful that one day make life a little easier for all these people affected by the disease.

 Thank you for all your support!

 Sincerely,

 A Mother’s Wish

 

 

 

A Mother’s Wish Sends Kids With Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis to Camp!

A Mother’s Wish is so proud of the work we have done so that sick kids with IBD can still enjoy a week of camp (like a normal kid) but with Doctors all over the campus to assist them as needed.

We covered the attendance for over 100 kids to take advantage of our endowment to the camps. Your donations not only help with important research but also sends kids to a camp that they would not be able to enjoy.

Camp Oasis’s Mission :To cure Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases.

Thank you for your much needed support which allows us to continue to offer these vital programs!

Sincerely,

A Mother’s Wish

 

 

 

A Mother’s Wish Casino Night Coming November 1 , 2025

 

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! A Mother’s Wish Foundation is excited to announce our  Gala – ‘CASINO NIGHT’ on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at the Alloy King of Prussia – a DoubleTree by Hilton.

This event will help to raise funds towards research, patient education, advocacy, Camp Oasis, and public awareness to support people suffering with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis – IBD.  Attendees will enjoy a buffet-style dinner including desserts, coffee, plus 4.5 Hours’ of  Open Bar while playing roulette, craps and blackjack. Your chips will be redeemable for chances to win Raffle items. Preston Elliot from WMMR will be our Emcee.

The preparations are underway for our Gala – ‘CASINO NIGHT’ but we need your help to make our event a huge success! You can help by contributing a product or service(s) that we can raffle off in our wonderful Raffle Gift Baskets. Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated. Also, to ensure your listing (name/company name) will be included in our  event promotional materials, we request that all donations be submitted prior to August 15, 2025 to be picked up by September 15, 2025.  The sooner the better so we can start promoting you! Please call us so arrangements can be made for the pick-up of your donation(s), if needed.  Unused Birthday and Holiday gifts ready for regifting are always welcome 🙂

 

Emcee Preston Elliot from WMMR http://WMMR.COM

Professional Dealers will entertain us from Passline Casino http://passlinecasinoparties.com

And you can even spend the night! Get a discounted room here : A MOTHER’S WISH ROOM BLOCK

 

A Mother’s Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization – meaning your generous contribution or donation will not only be greatly appreciated – but is tax deductible too! AMW’s Tax ID number is 27-3811993. If you have any questions, please contact us at 610-574-0345 or email: amotherswish@comcast.net. You can also visitwww.amotherswishfoundation.org.

 

Can we please count on your support in helping us find a cure? Thank you in advance for your  generosity and support!  And please consider joining us at the Alloy King of Prussia – a DoubleTree by Hilton, Saturday, November 1st from 6 – 11pm.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

Sponsor Levels & Benefits

All Sponsors enjoy a special ‘VIP Check-In’ Table. The hotel provides FREE event parking.

Platinum Sponsor – $5000

  • Company announced on the night of event with signage on Reserved Table & throughout the Event Area.
  • Full page ad in the event program, frequent Social Media Platform Blasts.
  • Acknowledgment on A Mother’s Wish Foundation website and link to your company website.
  • Reserved Table for 10 and receive $2000 in total Casino Money.
  • BOOK YOUR PLATINUM SPONSORSHIP HERE

 Gold Sponsor – $2500

  • Half page ad in the event program.
  • Company name printed in the event program, frequent Social Media Platform Blasts.
  • Acknowledgment on A Mother’s Wish Foundation website and link to your company website.
  • Reserved Table for 6 and receive $1000 in total Casino Money.
  • BOOK YOUR GOLD SPONSORSHIP HERE

 Silver Sponsor – $1000

  • Quarter page ad in the event program.
  • Company name printed in the event program, frequent Social Media Platform Blasts.
  • Acknowledgment on A Mother’s Wish Foundation website and link to your company website.
  • Reserved Table for 4 and receive $400 in total Casino Money.
  • BOOK YOUR SILVER SPONSORSHIP HERE

Friends of A Mother’s Wish Foundation- $500

 

Donation Items –

  • We are seeking donations of items to be raffled at the event – gift certificates, baskets, getaway packages, entertainment tickets, craft items, etc. Please kindly consider donating an item or items.

To make arrangements, please contact a committee member listed below.

A Mother’s Wish Foundation Gala-CASINO NIGHT Committee

Sarah Hedley: shedley16@gmail.com   

Haley Culp: hlculpie@gmail.com

Laura Weiner: amotherswish@comcast.net

Deirdre Kelly: kelly19085@verizon.net

Rachelle Wilson: Sprite117@comcast.net     

 Julie Macon Hill: julie@maconhillcreative.com

 

 

Thomas Jefferson University Endowment Update

This is an update from Diana Elbanna,  Director of Development, Medicine/Surgery from Jefferson University Hospital, on the ultrasound training device that targets the digestive system.

We recently connected with Dr. Kozuch and she shared with us updates about the training that your generous gift is supporting. She has completed the first of three modules, and is in the middle of

the hands-on module 2 training which requires travel to different sites to receive one-on-one training with an expert. She went to University of Chicago in August, and is currently in the midst of planning time at Dartmouth this winter. She anticipates that she will be done with module 2 in April, and module 3 will be completed later in the spring.

We are confirming which physician will be trained next, and identifying a module 1 to be attended, likely in the second half of 2025.

Thank you again for your support – this training and technology will go a long way in improving the lives of those impacted by diseases like Crohn’s and Colitis.

We are so grateful for you, and the rest of the A Mother’s Wish team. Enjoy this last part of the year (how quickly it came!), and looking forward to continuing our good work together in 2025.

Gratefully,

Diana

Diana Elbanna
Director of Development, Medicine/Surgery

Office of Institutional Advancement

Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health

Recipients of the “A Mother’s Wish Foundation Prize in IBD Research” at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Penn Hospital- with Dr Wu

 

Award Winner #3

Announcing our 2024 WINNER of the  ” AMW PRIZE in IBD Research” at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Penn Hospital

Dear AMW,

Via this email, I’m proud to introduce to you Dr. Amanda M. PeBenito, the 2024 recipient of the A Mother’s Wish Foundation in IBD Research at Penn. Amanda is a terrific clinician and investigator who has had a significant impact on the lives of patients suffering from IBD. Here is a short bio about her.

“Dr. Amanda PeBenito is a Gastroenterologist and physician-scientist at the University of Pennsylvania.  She works as both a clinician, treating patients with inflammatory bowel disease, and a researcher studying infections, such as those caused by the gut pathogen Clostridiodes difficile, which disproportionately affect patients with IBD.  The goal of her research is to better understand why patients with IBD are so susceptible to these infections, and specifically which gut metabolites may be driving this process in the setting of chronic inflammation.  Her work also aims to develop superior testing methods for this condition and identify new strategies to prevent it.   Dr. PeBenito obtained her medical degree from NYU School of Medicine and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital as part of the Stanbury Physician Scientist Program.  She was then recruited to the University of Pennsylvania for her Gastroenterology fellowship as part of the Basic Science Research track.”

We deeply appreciate the support of the Foundation for IBD research at Penn!

Gary D. Wu, MD

Ferdinand G. Weisbrod Professor in Gastroenterology

Co-Vice Chief for Research, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Director, Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases

Director, Penn Center for Nutritional Science and Medicine

Co-Director, PennCHOP Microbiome Program

Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

915 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104

 

Thank you again AMW!  I am truly honored to be recognized alongside the other amazing IBD researchers here at Penn.  I’m so thankful to you and the entire A Mother’s Wish Foundation for your support!

Best,

Amanda

Amanda PeBenito, MD, MS

Gastroenterology Fellow, PGY-6

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

 

Pur 3 Winners so far ……

 

Our First Awards Winner!

Dear Laura and all at the A Mother’s Wish Foundation,

Via this email, I’m proud to introduce to you Dr. Chung Sang “CS” Tse, the 2023 recipient of the A Mother’s Wish Foundation in IBD Research at Penn. CS is a terrific clinician and investigator who has had a significant impact on the lives of parents suffering from IBD. Here is a short bio about her.

Chung Sang Tse, MD, is a board-certified Gastroenterologist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Tse is an academic clinician-scientist with a clinical focus on inflammatory bowel diseases, specifically Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Her research is focused on addressing the non-inflammatory drivers of disease burden in inflammatory bowel diseases, including areas intersecting with healthcare delivery, healthcare utilization, health disparities, interdisciplinary care, and psychosocial health. Dr. Tse obtained her medical degree from the Yale School of Medicine and thereafter completed her residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic, fellowships in gastroenterology and women’s gastroenterological health at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Advanced Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Preceptorship at the University of California, San

Diego.

Thanks very much the support of the Foundation for IBD research at Penn.

Best, Gary

——————

Gary D. Wu, MD
Ferdinand G. Weisbrod Professor in Gastroenterology
Director, Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases Director, Penn Center for Nutritional Science and Medicine Co-Director, PennCHOP Microbiome Program
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
915 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Award Winner #2!

I’d like to share with you the terrific news that Nichole M. Belle, MD, PhD (cc’ed) https://www.pennmedicine.org/providers/profile/nicole-maloney-bellehas been chosen by the selection committee as the inaugural recipient of the “A Mother’s Wish Foundation Prize in IBD Research”. She is an outstanding young investigator studying important facets of intestinal epithelial and immune function related to IBD. Christian Hyde will be providing additional information about Nichole that you can share with the members of your Foundation. Nichole would be delighted to participate in your fund-raising event in the fall.

If you have any questions, please let me know and thanks again to you and your Foundation for the gift supporting this award program in IBD research for the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Best, Gary

Gary D. Wu, MD

Ferdinand G. Weisbrod Professor in Gastroenterology

Director, Penn Center for Nutritional Science and Medicine

Co-Director, PennCHOP Microbiome Program

Co-Director, Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases

Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

915 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104

 

 

ADAM PETERSOHN AND FRIEND ELI RAISE FUNDS FOR AMW!

LOOK AT THIS YOUNGER GENERATION! Adam’s first cousin has been living and dealing with Crohn’s disease for several years. He has watched her go through so much. Instead of being on water rides at the beach, they are selling lemonade and candy to support A Mother’s Wish. It is so promising to see the torch of giving back is alive and well!

Thank you Adam and Eli!