Wish Facts

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Wish Impact & Facts

A wish is much more than just a nice thing. And its reach extends far beyond a single event, or moment in time. Wish kids, parents, medical professionals, volunteers, and others say that wish experiences can change the lives of everyone involved, forever.

Wishes are powerful. A lot goes into granting them. Here are some facts and figures that will give you a behind-the-scenes look at Make-A-Wish® and its work in the United States and its territories.

Make-A-Wish grants a wish, on average, every 38 minutes and, on average, a child is referred for a wish every 28 minutes.

Every wish experience is driven by the wish kid’s interests, creativity and personality.

To qualify for a wish, a child with a life-threatening medical condition must be older than 2½ years old and younger than 18 (at the time of referral) and must not have received a wish from another wish-granting organization.

A child can be referred by a parent or guardian, a medical professional, or by the child.

Following referral, a certified medical professional must verify that the child has a life-threatening medical condition. There are no other qualifications based on sex, race, religion, socioeconomic status or any other demographic category.

Nine out of 10 doctors, nurses and health professionals say a wish experience can positively influence the physical health of seriously ill kids.*

Wish parents say that a wish experience marks a turning point in their children’s response to treatment; children become empowered to take back control of their lives and to keep up the fight against their life-threatening medical conditions.*

Wish parents, wish-granting volunteers and the health professionals who treat and refer wish kids for wishes report an increased sense of compassion, greater trust in humanity, an enhanced desire to help others, and a deepened commitment to philanthropy resulting from their wish experience.*

Make-A-Wish chapters serve every community in the United States and its territories.

Make-A-Wish has more than 25,000 active volunteers in the United States.

Every wish experience is driven by the wish kid’s interests, creativity and personality.

Make-A-Wish needs 2.5 billion frequent flyer miles to meet the travel needs for wish kids and their families.

Nearly 70 percent of wish experiences involve travel.

The Walt Disney Company is involved in 40 percent of the wishes we grant.

Wish Impact

According to the results of a 2011 Wish Impact Study that surveyed wish parents, health professionals, and Make-A-Wish volunteers, a wish come true empowers children with life-threatening medical conditions to fight harder against their illnesses. When wish kids are granted a wish, they get more than just a great experience for a day, two days, or a week. That experience improves the quality of life for them and their entire family.

Health professionals treating them say the wish experience is an important adjunct to medical treatment, and they observe their patients feel better and comply more readily with treatment protocols when they experience their wish come true. And the community volunteers who grant wishes say the wish granting process heightens both their ability to see the best in others, and their commitment to actively help more people in need.

Improved Health Status

Health professionals who treat wish kids, including nurses and doctors, overwhelmingly believe that the wish experience can improve a wish kids’ physical health.

Most health professionals say a wish come true has the potential to be a positive turning point in the child’s battle for health.

Parents and volunteers observe that a wish come true makes kids feel stronger and more energetic.

Wish kids are more willing to comply with difficult, but vital, treatment regimens.

Parents and medical professionals alike describe the wish experience as a frequent turning point in wish kids’ battles for health.