Zac & Lee Ponsky

Founder & President MedWish International

Every day, thousands of unused medical supplies in our country are discarded to landfills. At the same time, many developing countries face a severe lack of supplies. Brothers Lee and Zac Ponsky came up with a solution that would tackle both problems: MedWish. MedWish is a nonprofit committed to the recovery and recycling of usable medical supplies, which are then made available to medical care providers in developing countries. What began from Lee’s garage now serves over 60 countries. A specialist in urologic oncology, Lee also leads volunteer medical brigades to remote villages in Central America to provide critical onsite patient care. Lee received Special U.S. Congressional Recognition for his work with MedWish, and was named a Cleveland City Year Community Champion. Zac recently mobilized two major hospital systems, the city of Cleveland, the state of Ohio, the U.S. Army, and hundreds of lay volunteers and medical specialists to work together to offer a panorama of health care services to underserved populations. Lee and Zac are not waiting for the system to change; they are rallying people to create alternatives now. They teach us that nothing is impossible, that people of good will who work together can achieve the incredible.

“Lee and Zac are not waiting for the system to change; they are rallying people to create alternatives now. They teach that people of good will who work together can achieve the incredible.”