Wish Process

STEP ONE: The Wish Referral

A child can be referred for a wish by one of the following three sources:

• A medical professional treating the child (doctor, nurse, social worker, or child-life specialist)
• The child's parents or legal guardians
• The potential wish child

STEP TWO: Determining the Child's Eligibility

A child with a life-threatening medical condition, who is over the age of 2½ and under the age of 18 at the time of referral, may be eligible for a wish. The child's physician makes the final determination of whether a child is medically eligible to receive a wish.

STEP THREE: Choosing a Wish

After the physician confirms that the child is medically eligible to receive a wish, the child's local Make-A-Wish chapter assigns a volunteer wish team to create a magical wish experience for the child. During the wish team's visit, they ask the child what his or her one favorite wish is.

STEP FOUR: Making a Wish Come True

After the child has determined his or her wish, the child's wish granters and local Make-A-Wish professionals work to create it. Every effort is made to involve each member of the child's immediate family in the wish experience. Quite often, the impact of a wish experience will touch the lives of dozens, sometimes hundreds, of people who help to fulfill a child's wish.

Online Referral Form