Historic 2024 Wish Granting Improved Health for Kids

New Report from Make-A-Wish Canada Highlights Mental and Physical Impact of Wishes for Sick Children

April 16, 2025, Toronto, Canada – In celebration of World Wish Month, Make-A-Wish^® Canada has published its 2024 Impact Report, revealing how the charity’s record-breaking 2,011 wishes granted in 2024 delivered measurable health benefits for children facing critical illnesses. This 45 percent increase in wish granting from the previous year reflects the growing need and recognition of wishes as a powerful health intervention for children with critical illness, leading to better emotional resilience, fewer hospital visits, and greater treatment compliance.

Wishes provide children with a personalized experience – whether meeting a favourite celebrity or visiting a dream destination – offering joy, hope and respite from the everyday challenges of living with a critical illness. According to the charity’s report, nearly all surveyed medical experts agree that a wish experience helps their pediatric patients fight their illnesses and improves their quality of life. This reporting is reflected in measurable health outcomes – sick children granted a wish were 2.5 times less likely to have an unplanned hospital visit and 1.9 times less likely to use the emergency department. Additionally, the charity shares, many wish kids report feeling more optimistic about their future and more confident in their ability to face treatment and recovery.

“Make-A-Wish Canada’s 2024 Impact Report highlights the extraordinary difference wishes make for families living with critical illness,” said Meaghan Stovel McKnight, Chief Executive Officer of  Make-A-Wish Canada. “The record number of wishes granted this year reflects a growing need for these experiences which improve the health and emotional well-being of these resilient children and their loved ones.  We are grateful for the generous support of Canadians who help make life-changing wishes possible for children from coast-to-coast.”

Under the guidance of a Medical Advisory Committee composed of leading Canadian pediatric professionals, Make-A-Wish Canada continues to demonstrate the lasting impact of wishes on children’s health. In the charity’s report, Dr. Rod Rassekh, a pediatric oncologist and member of the Medical Advisory Committee, explains how wishes serve as a vital complement to traditional treatments in a child’s care plan: “A wish can have an immense impact on a child and the entire family. I’ve often used wishes to improve a child’s mental health. The wish is part of my therapeutic tool kit alongside medications and part of a supportive care plan for the children and teens I treat.”

With over 3,700 sick children still on the waitlist,  Make-A-Wish Canada is committed to continuing to expand its reach and to grant more wishes in support of the mental and physical health of children across Canada. For more information about Make-A-Wish Canada’s 2024 Impact Report or to learn how you can help make a wish come true, visit makeawish.ca.