Information sheet for parents

General Information

Make-a-Wish® is an organization that has set its mission to fulfill the wishes of seriously ill children between the ages of 3 and 18. We want to give children who are especially hard going through their severe illness (this includes all cancers, cystic fibrosis, ALS, severe heart disease, etc. – a detailed list can be found on our homepage) joy and courage to live!

Is there something that even your child would rather do / have / be than…?
Does your child constantly talk about one big wish, even if it seems impossible? Do you think your child “deserves” to have their wishes fulfilled right now? Do you think that Make-A-Wish® can make your child especially happy by fulfilling their heart’s desire?

How does make-a-Wish®fulfill a wish?
As soon as you decide that Make-A-Wish® can fulfill your child’s heart’s desire, we will ask you the most important information (your child’s name, age, and condition) over the phone and answer all questions that you have. As soon as possible, two of our volunteers will contact you to make an appointment, which may take place at your home or even in the hospital. At the first stage, we resolve all the formalities, such as permission to publish, etc. and give the child a “Wish Coin”, which symbolically means that we fulfill his wish. In addition, your child receives from us a “Wishbox”, which can be designed and collected there everything related to a heart desire. On the second date: thanks to the Wishbox, we get to know the child better, understand what is important for him and find out together with the child why various items, drawings, photos, etc. are in the Wishbox. This results in a heart’s desire! Usually this process of creating a wish takes about an hour.

As soon as we get the consent of the attending physician to fulfill your child’s wish, we will start organizing all the process!

Until the wish is fulfilled, our two volunteer will keep in touch with you, coordinate organizational issues, and answer your questions. During this time, our staff will also try to give your child different small tasks or include them in planning to increase anticipation.

How long does it take to fulfill my child’s wish?
The actual duration depends on many different factors (such as the wish itself, your child’s health, etc. ). Basically, we strive to fulfill your child’s heart’s wish as quickly as possible.

What expenses do I incur in the process of fulfilling the wish?
As a rule, none at all. Make-a-Wish® also covers the cost of at least 1 accompanying person in the case of a trip. If other family members want to travel with us, additional funding will be considered for each Wish fulfillment separately.

What data of my child will be published?
Since we want to fulfill the wishes of as many children as possible, this helps us when we can talk and write about fulfilling your child’s wish. At the same time, we only reveal your child’s name, age, state, and approximate name of the disease. Photos of your child’s unique wish can inspire other families to also contact Make-A-Wish®. However, you don’t have to agree to publish if you don’t want to. There is no compulsion for this. Just tell us at the first stages whether you agree to the publication or not.

We have also collected answers to other frequently asked questions.

What parents tell us about their child’s wish fulfillment:

“The best thing for me was to see the glow in Valentina’s eyes again. [ … ] Valentina has had a very difficult and not quite childish time over the past 1.5 years . Thank God everything went well, and this weekend in Paris at Disneyland was a start to normal life again, away from the hospital and worries! Thank you for these wonderful and unforgettable moments. Your work is so priceless, and fulfilling children’s heart’s wishes gives them strength, courage and cheerful moments!”

Valentina’s Mother

Seeing these bright and shining children’s eyes , we completely forgot about the difficult time of recent years. Dear Make-A-Wish team, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for these wonderful days and for making our Marie (and of course Sophie [note: Marie’s sister]) so happy!!”

Marie’s Mother

“As Andreas’s mother, I would like to express my heartfelt thank-you to all of you . [ … ] Every time I watch the video, tears run down my cheeks, and my heart is filled with gratitude and love, of course for my wonderful son, but also for this idea, and for the people who are so dedicated to it, and for the companies that help. It is very difficult to express in words all the gratitude, respect and appreciation.”

Andreas’ Mother (Wish: to record self-composed song on CD)

“Someone once said: «The only thing worse than having cancer is if your child has cancer.»
When you get this diagnosis, it pulls the floor out from under your feet. It is only thanks to the great team of St. Anna und wonderful people like you that it is possible to find the way back and return to normal life.

Berni’s Family (Wunsch: eine eigene Hühnerfarm)

Even if your child has a heart’s wish that seems impossible to fulfill, there is nothing more pleasant for us than to do everything possible to make his heart’s wish become a reality! Simply register the child’s wish with us.