The Wish Journey
A Make-A-Wish wish is much more than just one special day in the lives of Australian kids with a critical illness.
You make wishes come true
As part of the WishForce, your donations have a huge impact on the wish kids you help support.
Your continued generosity ensures that the over 800 children waiting for a wish do more than just wait, they experience their very own Wish Journey.
What is a Wish Journey?
From the moment a wish application is approved, the Wish Journey begins.
A Wish Journey is the time between when a wish is made by a child, to when the wish comes true. During this time wish kids are often going through treatment, spending time in hospital away from their loved ones and friends. For many children, this time period can be extremely scary and challenging. This is where the Wish Journey starts making an incredible impact.
Once a child knows that their wish will be coming true, many kids see this as something to look forward to and focus on during hard times.
For wish kid Xanthe, the Wish Journey was a secret weapon during her hospital treatment for leukaemia.
“The nurses would sit there, and every time she was sick and they had to poke and prod Xanthe - they’d ask ‘what are you going to wish for’,” wish mum Jo said.
“I think it was an amazing tool for them to be able to use. And as a parent, it makes that moment of watching your kid receive treatment, easier."
“You see the nurses encourage the child’s imagination to take them away from those moments where they are in pain. If kids can be distracted enough to be thinking of animals or puppies or big cites or whatever they are wishing for, then the nurses can get the needle in and get the job done.”
Getting started
Wish kids are visited in person, or safely by video call, by some of our over 1000 volunteers Australia-wide. This is their opportunity to explore their ideas and come up with their ultimate wish! Many wish kids spend time creatively exploring what their wishes might be, through drawings or Pinterest boards online.
Our Wish Team and volunteers work together to plan and organise each unique wish. During this time, the wish can provide hope and joy to the whole family.
To help wish children stay engaged, special items like videos from their favourite superhero or princess, maps or clues for their wish and superhero training are sent to wish kids as part of their Wish Journey.
The effect of the Wish Journey
Many parents tell us that these wish anticipation items are high points during a child’s wish journey, especially when their journeys are particularly tough.
With over 200 children having their wishes delayed in 2020 due to COVID-19, wish anticipation has been extra important to wish kids.
Of course, the day a wish comes true is the culmination of their entire Wish Journey. That special moment when a wish comes true means so much to each and every child and their families. And none of this could happen without your incredible support, thank you!
Every time you make a donation, you’re helping a child have an amazing wish journey and making wishes come true for over 800 children who are on their Wish Journey right now.
Thank you
The impact of a wish stays with a child, keep reading on the next page to hear about the lasting impact of wishes on some past wish kids.