If you call the ``Children's Make a Wish'' foundation, you will find that they are not soliciting any form of card for Craig Shergold or anyone else. Better yet, if you call the Guinness people (US publisher is "Facts on File" @ 212-683--2244 ext. 336), you can get this same story confirmed. You will also find that they will no longer endorse or support any effort to break this record.

Many years ago, Craig Shergold had a brain tumor, believed inoperable. He sought to set the Guinness record for get-well cards. The call was well-publicized, and he did, indeed set the record (consult a recent edition of the book --- he has received in excess of 16 million cards to date; he officially set the record as of 17 Nov 1989).

As part of this whole story, his plight caught the attention of John Kluge, the US billionaire, who paid for Craig to come to the US and receive specialized treatment. As a result, Craig has recovered completely from his tumor. He is also no longer seven, but well into his teens (you can see how out-of-date the request for cards is from this -- it's like circulating a letter encouraging people to vote for Carter for President).

The problem is that the mimeographed sheets and letters seeking cards for Craig have continued to be circulated. As a result, cards continue to pour in to the post office for Royal Marsden Hospital in England. Worse, the appeal has mutated into various other versions, such as an appeal for business cards, one for postcards, and another version that appeals for holiday cards.

The Shergold family has publicly appealed many times that people cease to mail them cards and letters, and that no more appeals be made on their behalf. One easily accessible way to verify this is with the article on page 24 of the 19 July 1990 NY Times. People Magazine wrote an article about it on June 1, 1991, page 63. Even Ann Landers has carried an item on this [6/23/91], but people still keep trying to send cards. Both Guinness and Royal Marsden have repeatedly issued press releases asking people to stop circulating requests for cards, as they are creating an undue burden on both the hospital and the postal service.

The Guinness people have discontinued the category to prevent this kind of thing from ever happening again, and are doing their utmost to kill any further mailings. The Royal Marsden Hospital is at a loss what to do with the cards that continue to arrive --- most are being sold to stamp collectors and paper recyclers, and none go on to Craig.

This appeal for Craig, as well as many urban legends, regularly appear on electronic bulletin boards around the world, and in many organizational newsletters and bulletins. It is both heartening and unfortunate that there are so many well-meaning people who continue to propagate these stories. It is too bad that so many people are unwilling to verify their information before passing such things along, especially when a simple phone call will suffice to do so. In this case, opening a recent copy of a book carried by nearly every library and bookstore would illuminate the situation.

If you would still like to do something for a dying child, consider making a donation to a charity such as UNICEF or to the International Red Cross (Red Crescent, Red Magen David). Many thousands of children are dying daily around the world from disease and starvation, and countless millions more are suffering from the ravages of war, famine, disease, and natural disaster. Think how many of them might be helped by the millions of dollars in postage spent on cards to Craig Shergold.... Addresses (in US) are:

UNICEF
1 UN Plaza
New York, NY 10017

American National Red Cross
17th & D Streets
Washington, DC 20006
Attn: international children's aid