HONOLULU (HI Now) - Make-A-Wish Hawaii strives to bring every eligible child’s wish to life, because a wish is an integral part of a child’s medical journey. Wishes inspire hope, bring joy, and offer strength to children with critical illnesses across the state. Megan Seriguchi, Mission and Medical Outreach Specialist at Make-A-Wish Hawaii, and Wish Kid Leia joined us to discuss the importance of referrals in making a life-changing impact for children with critical illnesses through the power of a wish.
Referrals are the first step in making this happen, and our medical partners are our number one referral source. People often don’t realize that family members with detailed knowledge of the child’s current medical condition, parents, and legal guardians can refer a child, too!
Research shows that wishes help children build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness. This improves their quality of life, and most wish kids go on to live typical, healthy lives. According to a program impact study by Make-A-Wish America, more than 89% of medical professionals believe a wish experience can positively influence a child’s health.
Wishes are powerful medicine that give children hope and strength to fight harder against their illnesses and envision a brighter future. A wish gives children hope. The anticipation of a wish gives them something joyful to focus on. When their wish comes true, it offers them a chance to simply be a kid again. Knowing they have something exciting to look forward to motivates children to comply with their treatments. A wish can brighten their spirits, keep them focused on recovery, and looking forward to the joyful future ahead.
To qualify, a child would need to have been diagnosed with a critical illness—a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition that places the child’s life in jeopardy. For example, if a child has received or is actively listed for a solid organ transplant, has congestive heart failure, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, long QT syndrome, has had a Fontan procedure, is on total parenteral nutrition (TPN), is on dialysis, or is on a ventilator. The child must also be between the ages of 2 ½ and 17 years old at the time of referral and cannot have received a wish from another wish-granting organization.
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Everyone has the power to make wishes come true! While medical professionals are key referral sources, parents, legal guardians, family members, and even children themselves can all make referrals. You can learn more about wish eligibility and make a referral online at hawaii.wish.org. If you don’t know a child who may be eligible, you can still support our mission by donating or volunteering. Every gift helps bring hope and joy to kids when they need it most. It’s important to note all money raised in Hawaii supports wishes for Hawaii keiki. You can feel great knowing your support has an impact on your community!
For more information, visit hawaii.wish.org and on social media @makeawishhawaii
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