How Wishes Are Granted
Each wish-granting situation is a unique experience for the child, their family, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. However, there is a general process by which a child is referred, qualified, and granted a wish.
First Step — Wish Referral
The Make-A-Wish Foundation accepts wish referrals from one of several potential referral sources:
- The child
- The child’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s)
- A medical professional treating the child, such as a doctor, nurse, social worker, or child-life specialist
If the initial call comes from someone other than those listed above, we always ask that the family be notified to call directly on their own behalf.
If you would like to refer a patient or child, please download and complete our Wish Referral Form
Second Step — Determining Eligibility
Any child over 2½ or under age 18 with a life-threatening condition may be eligible for a wish. The child’s treating physician makes the final determination of whether the child is medically eligible to receive a wish and whether the child is able to participate in the wish. The child cannot have received a prior wish from a wish-granting organization. The child’s treating physician makes the final determination of whether the child is medically eligible and able to participate in the wish.
Third Step — Identifying the Wish
After the doctor confirms that the child is medically eligible, the Make-A-Wish Foundation assigns a volunteer wish team to coordinate the wish-granting process. When a wish team first visits with a child, the volunteers begin by asking a simple question: “If you could have one wish, what would it be?”Usually, wishes are limited only by a child’s imagination. Most wishes fall into one of four categories: “I wish to go…,” “I wish to be…,” “I wish to meet…,” or “I wish to have…” Once a chapter approves the child’s wish, the wish team sets out to make it come true.
Fourth Step — Granting the Wish
After talking with the child, the Make-A-Wish Foundation wish granters set out to create a magical wish experience for the child that will last a lifetime. Every effort is made to include the immediate family in the child’s wish. The wish experience often touches dozens, and sometimes hundreds of people who either help coordinate or are directly involved in the wish.
