Qualifications
When you refer a child for a wish, you give an experience that lasts an entire lifetime. You give hope, inspiration, and the courage to keep fighting a very grown-up battle. We are all part of sharing the power of a wish -- ANYONE who knows a child who is battling a life-threatening medical condition should call to learn more about referring kids to Make-A-Wish®! We can tell you how to share the information with the child's family, and maybe change their lives forever!
QUALIFICATIONS
What Qualifies a Child?
  • The child must have a life-threatening illness
  • The child must be under the age of 18 at the time of referral
  • The child cannot have received a prior wish from a wish-granting organization
Who Can Refer a Child?
Out of respect for the kids and families we serve, and out of concern for their privacy, children who may be eligible to receive a wish can be referred by one of only three sources:
  • Medical professionals treating the child (such as doctors, nurses, social workers, and child life specialists)
  • A parent or legal guardian of the potential wish child
  • The potential wish child themselves
What are the Benefits of Wish Granting?
  • Helps kids forget about being sick
  • Is part of the treatment and recovery process
  • Lets the family be together
  • Reminds kids that life is worth living
  • Revitalizes the spirit (a healthy spirit helps to create a healthy body)
  • Brings magic and laughter back into a child's life
  • Provides a chance to fulfill a dream
  • Encourages kids to keep making plans for the future!
The purpose of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is to grant the wish of each child under the age of 18 who has a life-threatening medical condition, i.e., a progressive, degenerative or malignant medical condition that has placed the child's life in jeopardy.
 

"One of the reasons that I love my job is that I get to work with the St. Jude's Affiliate Clinic. The children and their families, in addition to the medical staff, are a tremendous source of strength, hope, and faith for me... Most of this love and faith is created independently of me; however, one service that I am able to provide to the children that helps create even more hope and laughter is a Make-A-Wish referral. I will never forget the power of a wish granted to a little girl that I worked with in the past. She had a diagnosis of cancer and a fear of pain. Every time that she came in to the hospital she was quiet, had a sad face, and cried often. Despite their best efforts, the medical staff was not able to bring her out of her shell. However, once the referral was made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of East Tennessee, there was now a topic that the little girl enjoyed talking about with the doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. A little girl who had seldom smiled while in the hospital now smiled in spite of herself at the mention of her wish. The power of her wish brought her joy as she created her perfect wish, made travel plans with her family, discussed the details of the trip with the medical staff, and showed pictures from the trip to anyone who would listen afterwards. While her wish did not change her diagnosis it did bring tremendous joy during a difficult time of treatment."

Sarah Orsbon
Volunteer & Oncology Social Worker

 

MEDICAL INFORMATION

This section contains a list of specific medical conditions that qualify a child for a wish.Medical conditions not included in this list may also qualify a child based on the life-threatening condition as defined above. It is not the disease or condition itself that qualifies the child, but the fact that, at the time of referral, the disease or condition has become life-threatening as defined above.

Cardiology
  • Dilated Cardiomyopathy
  • Pulmonary Artery Hypertension
  • Kawasaki Syndrome with Significant Coronary Involvement
  • Transposition of the Great Arteries with Poor Ventricular Function
  • Complex Congenital Heart Lesions
Gastroenterology
  • Congenital Biliary Atresia
  • End Stage Liver Failure, Post Infectious, Toxic or Vascular
  • Short Bowel Syndrome with Total Parenteral Dependence
  • Storage or Metabolic Diseases with Organ Impairment
Hematology/Oncology
  • Chronic Congenital Hypoplastic Anemia (transfusion dependent)
  • Aplastic Anemia (including Fanconi's)
  • Sickle Cell Diseases (organ impairments or life-threatening complications)
  • Severe Agranulocytosis
  • Thalassemia Major
  • Cancers that require ongoing treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation, bone marrow or stem cell transplant
Immunology
  • Congenital Immune Deficiencies with known limitations on life span, or requiring bone marrow transplant
  • Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (HIV infection with symptoms and/or significant immune suppression)
Nephrology
  • End Stage Renal Disease
Neurology
  • Degenerative Gray Matter Disease
  • Degenerative White Matter Disease
  • Spinal Muscular Atrophy
  • Muscular Dystrophy (rapidly progressive cases)
Pulmonology
  • Cystic Fibrosis (with moderate to severe progressive lung disease)
Rheumatology
  • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with life-threatening complications
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Scleroderma
Transplants
  • Bone Marrow or Stem Cell Transplant
  • Solid Organ Transplant
Urology
  • Cloacal Exstrophy

 

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Does your current Purpose Statement now expand the pool of potentially eligible children you now serve?
  No. It simply clarifies our eligibility parameters, which for many years had been subject to varying interpretation by many referral sources. Its primary qualifier describes in greater detail what we mean by a "life-threatening medical condition," i.e., a progressive, degenerative or malignant medical condition that has placed the child's life in jeopardy.
Regardless of your guidelines, I've heard that a child must ultimately be terminally ill in order to receive a wish. Is this true?
  No. By eliminating the reference in our previous Purpose Statement about serving "children with terminal illnesses," our revised Purpose Statement now clearly establishes that children need not be dying in order to be served by the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. It also reinforces the life-affirming aspect of our mission: to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.
Is there a minimum age for children that you serve?
  The Make-A-Wish Foundation serves children who are under the age of 18 at the time of referral, and at least 2½ years of age at that time. However, in those cases where a child's physician determines that a child under 2½ will not live to that age, that child may qualify to receive a wish from his or her local Make-A-Wish® chapter. Contact your local chapter for more information.
I noticed that your Mission and Purpose statements now refer to life-threatening "medical conditions" instead of "illnesses." Does that mean that a child with a trauma-related condition (i.e., severe burns, injuries from accidents) would also qualify for a wish?
  Maybe, but this depends squarely on the outcome of the trauma-related condition. If a severe injury results in a medical condition that is progressive, degenerative, or malignant, and has placed the child's life in jeopardy, then yes, a child would medically qualify. If a trauma case does not result in a life-threatening medical condition as described here, the child would not medically qualify.
What kinds of medical conditions typically qualify a child to receive a wish?
 

Most qualifying conditions fall under one of the following categories: Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Hematology/Oncology, Immunology, Nephrology, Neurology, Pulmonology, Rheumatology, Transplants, and Urology.

Please Note: Under each category of the Make-A-Wish Foundation's Medical List, many conditions contain specific qualifying criteria. Your local Make-A-Wish chapter can provide any necessary clarification on any specific condition as necessary.
What if a child's illness does not appear on your medical list?
  The Foundation's Medical List includes conditions for each category that are most common among the children we serve. However, medical conditions not included on the Foundation's Medical List may also qualify a child for a wish based on the life-threatening condition as defined previously. Check with the child's referring physician for any necessary clarification on a life-threatening medical condition that does not appear on this list.