If you have a child facing a life-threatening medical condition, you don't need us to tell you about the stress that it can cause for both your child and your family. The Make-A-Wish Foundation® is here to help.

Your child needs medical care, but he or she also needs something more-hope for better times, strength for the tough times, and joy to experience the present. We want to help keep hope and joy in the life of your child and your family. We want to help make your child's wish come true.

Please read on to learn more about the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of New Hampshire and how we can help your family.

What is the Make-A-Wish Foundation®?
The Make-A-Wish Foundation® helps a child and a family navigate the stresses of a serious illness by fulfilling one personal, heartfelt wish for the child. The Foundation gives the child a magical, once-in-a-lifetime gift or experience-an interlude of respite and delight in the midst of hospitalizations and treatment schedules, physical limitations, and the fear and disappointments of a life-threatening medical condition.

What is a "wish"?
A wish is a child's personal, heartfelt answer to the question: "If you could have anything in the world, go anywhere, do or be anything, what would you choose?" The Foundation wants to make sure that the wish is age-appropriate, does not interfere with treatment and recovery, and truly is the child's own wish, expressed as much as possible in the child's own words.

Must my child have a terminal diagnosis to qualify?
Absolutely not. Make-A-Wish Foundation® children have life-threatening medical conditions. We do serve children who are terminally ill, but we serve many others who do not have that prognosis. We would like a wish to be a source of hope, joy and courage; and we would like your child to have a wish experience at a point in the treatment when she or he is well enough to enjoy and benefit from the experience.

Clearly, a wish would usually not be appropriate at the moment of first diagnosis. Your doctor will want to start a treatment schedule and observe how the illness responds. A wish is usually appropriate later, when a child is experiencing depression, limitations of various kinds, reactions to treatment, or is simply having difficulty staying positive. Teenagers often rebel and even decide not to cooperate in treatment. A wish can provide an emotional lift, or an incentive to finish a long and difficult treatment schedule.

Must I wait for a doctor or social worker to suggest the Make-A-Wish Foundation?
As a parent you are welcome to call us. Sometimes it is the child themselves who calls, because a friend or a roommate has had a wish and it sounds "so cool." If a friend or relative of your family calls us, we will ask them to give you a call. We want to make sure we respect your privacy so we ask that you contact us to initiate the wish process.

I don't want to raise my child's hopes, only to have them dashed.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation® serves every medically-qualified child who is between 2˝ and 18 years old, and is living in New Hampshire. We will ask your physician if your child's life-threatening condition matches our medical criteria. We will not meet with your child until we know that he or she meets those three conditions of eligibility. If you live in another state or region, we will connect you to the appropriate chapter in your area.

What if my child wants a trip to Walt Disney World and he is in the middle of a treatment schedule?
The first priority for everyone is giving your child the best possible medical care. Treatment schedules can often accommodate family vacations, but if they cannot, a trip is a wonderful thing to anticipate. We can have your child's long-awaited adventure ready and waiting the moment treatment ends.

Other wishes do not involve travel. Your child may have something else in mind, like a new computer, a puppy, or new bedroom furniture. The wishes children express are as varied as the children themselves. We want to know about that wish as early as possible, so it can truly be a support for your child during a long, difficult time.

Meanwhile, we have family activities and events scheduled throughout year. These activities can provide additional distractions and diminish a child's feeling that all of life revolves around the illness and its treatment. Meeting other children facing life-threatening medical conditions can also help them to feel that they are not alone in their feelings or challenges.

Are there financial considerations?
No. What qualifies your child for a wish is his or her medical condition-finances are not considered in determining eligibility, and we do not require financial disclosure.

Still, many of our families do face financial challenges. Most wish families are facing the daunting financial challenges of medical treatment. Others are saving every penny for an urgent transplant. Some working parents have lost jobs to long hospital vigils, or are trying to maintain an apartment near the hospital as well as a home elsewhere in the state. Still others know that their child has a special wish-like going to the Super Bowl or meeting Michael Jordan-that no amount of money could ever grant without other kinds of assistance.

We have learned that families in crisis are not able, either psychologically or financially, to plan and carry out a fantasy event for a child in the midst of other stresses. That's where we come in.

Why is a wish so important?
We believe that every child should be encouraged to dream and deserves to believe that dreams do come true. In a time when a child has very little control over his or her life or body, a wish is something he or she can imagine and control. Asking your child to imagine his or her wish is sometimes the most important part of the whole wish-granting process. A wish can be a practical device that opens, in an easy and natural way, a conversation about the things that are most important to your child at this particularly difficult time.

Who is involved in a wish?
It depends upon the wish and the child's desires. The Make-A-Wish Foundation® always includes the entire immediate family. All the Make-A-Wish Foundation® activities are designed for siblings, as well as the wish child. We know that your other children are experiencing grief, anger and deprivation from this illness. A wish can provide at least one outcome that is positive and fun for everyone.

Must there be publicity on a wish?
No publicity will ever be sought without your permission and comfort.

What should I do if I want a wish for my child?
Please call our office at (603) 623-WISH (9474).

We know it is difficult to take this first step, but we hope that you will call us. We are here to help.