Make-A-Wish®: Granting Life-Changing Wishes
Make-A-Wish® is the world’s largest wish-granting organization. Together with generous donors, volunteers and supporters, it grants life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses.
The Remarkable Power of One Wish
The power of one wish is remarkable and life-changing for kids, families and communities who experience it. A wish helps kids look beyond their limitations, overcome anxiety and find hope for a better future. When a child with a serious illness is granted a wish, the promise of a future comes to life, replacing fear with confidence, sadness with joy and anxiety with hope. That change is often life-saving. Hundreds of thousands of families have witnessed it firsthand, and now research shows that it also builds the emotional and physical strength children need to fight their critical illnesses.
A Significant Decrease in Healthcare Utilization
A new study conducted by Make-A-Wish (MAW) found that patients who received a wish experienced a significant decline in unplanned visits to the medical facility, as compared to patients who did not receive a wish. The study analyzed data from patients who received a wish through the MAW Foundation, which is administered by the Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH), between 2011 and 2016.
Evaluating the Value of Wishes
This research provides evidence that wishes are associated with a significant decrease in healthcare utilization for kids with serious illness. We used a case-control analysis of patients receiving care at NCH facilities to determine the impact of wishes on patient healthcare utilization and costs. The results of this study are important for evaluating the value of wishes to patients and families in an age where healthcare is increasingly expensive.
A Decline in Unplanned Visits
Researchers analyzed the clinical record of 563 patients at NCH who were identified as having a chronic, life-threatening or life-limiting illness that would limit their quality of life. Patients were matched with similar control patients who did not receive a wish. To assess the impact of wish-fulfillment on healthcare utilization, we used a case-control analysis that included visits to primary, urgent, emergent and emergency department (ED) services during the 2 years following the wish. The study results show that patients who received a wish had a statistically significant decline in unplanned visits, which exceeded the average cost of a wish in 2016, $10,130.
Improvements in Hospitalizations
In addition to the decline in unplanned visits, patients who received a wish had fewer planned and unplanned hospitalizations than those who did not. The results are particularly important for patients who are at high risk of ED visits due to their serious illness.
The Inspiration Behind Make-A-Wish®
The inspiration for Make-A-Wish traces back to Chris Greicius, a 7-year-old boy battling leukemia who wished to be a police officer. His community came together to make his wish a reality, creating a movement that has transformed millions of lives.
Granting Life-Changing Wishes Since 1980
Today, with more than 35 years of experience and a global reach, Make-A-Wish® continues to grant life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses. The mission remains the same: to give hope to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Make-A-Wish® is a nonprofit organization that has created life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses since 1980. The organization’s goal is to help make every child’s wish come true.
