Little Wishes grants the immediate and ongoing wishes of chronically and critically ill, hospitalized children.
Little Wishes™ makes a big difference for seriously ill, hospitalized children facing difficult journeys. A non-profit founded by two pediatric oncology/PICU nurses in 2003, Little Wishes helps prevent patients from losing their identity to illness by tapping into their passions. Young patients may identify what makes them happy and wish for something that will fill their hearts and brighten their darkest days. What makes Little Wishes unique is that a patient may wish for something every two weeks giving them a positive event to look forward to. Some children spend hours searching online for their wish, providing a sense of control and healing distraction from pain. Receiving wishes also helps little patients replace anxiety and fear with hope and joy. All wishes take place in the hospital and are delivered with fanfare by hospital staff. Milestones spent in the hospital are also celebrated including birthdays, graduations, and completion of treatment, creating a sense of community. In addition, Little Wishes provides comfort in a child's final days surrounding them with their most cherished belongings and providing memory making kits and keepsake lockets for the family to hold on to forever. Little Wishes has granted over 25,000 wishes to date. Little Wishes is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization Federal Tax ID 52-2386886
08/20/2025
What do you wish for when life changes overnight?
For Michael, it was an electric blanket, sneakers, and a birthday surrounded by friends.
Michael just turned 15, and for the past 23 days, he has called a hospital room home. Once a healthy, active teen, MOGAD left him a quadriplegic and facing a long road of rehab.
His wish became the very first granted at Banner Children’s at Desert. Just hours before his party, he was cleared to take his first bite of food in weeks, saved for his Little Wishes pizza and birthday cake. 🍕🎂💚
We are deeply grateful to our sponsors, Mike and Ali Cornelison from the Danali Fund, whose generosity is bringing Little Wishes to this hospital and making dreams like Michael’s possible.💚🧚🏼
08/08/2025
What began as the flu quickly turned into a life-changing diagnosis for Vivian.
At 9 years old, she was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma, starting a grueling three-year battle marked by chemo toxicity, organ complications, time on a ventilator, and even having to relearn how to walk.
There were moments when her family was told she might not survive.
But now, at 11 years old, Vivian is celebrating her last chemo and her last wish with Little Wishes.
From her very first wish (a baby doll seen in the photo) to this final celebration, Little Wishes has been by her side, bringing light to even the hardest days. Fun facts: Vivian is a big fan of whose music helped carry her through. She is a singer herself, and with her mom, she created the to support other kids and families facing cancer. 💚🙏🏼
08/04/2025
Future firefighter gets the hero send-off he always dreamed of 🚒✨
It was Send-Off Hero Day, and the teams at and made sure Rafael’s discharge was something truly special. After recovering from spinal surgery, which will give him a chance at a pain-free life, Rafael’s journey home was nothing short of a hero’s farewell.
Rafael dreams of being a firefighter and has a deep love for first responders. While recovering in the ICU, his nurses angled his bed so he could watch helicopters from the neighboring hospital. Once he was walking again, he would run to the window any time he heard sirens, waving to police and fire crews passing by.
For his Little Wish, he asked for a pizza party with first responders. So we teamed up with and .
Rafael got firefighter swag, a police bear, climbed into the truck, and left the hospital with a full lights and sirens es**rt just like the hero he is.
Big thanks to and for helping make this moment unforgettable.
📸cred: Media Team
07/29/2025
Ever try sleeping in a hospital bed?
River has, night after night, and it is far from comfy.
For his Little Wish, he asked for something to help him rest better: a deluxe mattress topper.
Now he says he’s sleeping “so good” for the first time since being in the hospital.
That little bit of comfort is making a big difference as he rests to stay strong through treatment.💚
07/16/2025
What do a LEGO lightsaber, hot sauce, and a gaming chair have in common?
They’re the latest proof that joy is powerful medicine.
Little Wishes has officially launched at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, giving kids the power to choose something fun and meaningful every 2 weeks during treatment. And their first wishes are as unique as they are.
✨ Malachi, 14, is the king of the daily joke board and now the proud builder of a Star Wars LEGO empire. It’s the perfect project for those long chemo stays.
🌶️ Liam, 11, prank master and proud hot sauce snob, picked magician kits, a kids’ cookbook, and his favorite local heat because flavor and fun go hand in hand.
🎮 Ian, 13, celebrated his last chemo with a gaming chair, VR gear, and Percy Jackson books. He’s ready to chill, compete, and power up for what’s next.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of The Evelyn S. and K.E. Barrett Foundation, Little Wishes is now a reality at BBCH, bringing light, laughter, and the power to choose to kids who need it most. Stay tuned, there’s more joy to come!💚MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children's Hospital
06/27/2025
When butterflies gather, miracles happen. Today, 2-year-old Hava rang the bell surrounded by love and wings to celebrate the end of chemo. 🦋✨
06/25/2025
Summer looks different for Paige this year. Instead of days at the lake with her dog River, 15-year-old Paige is spending long weeks in the hospital after a recent cancer diagnosis.
She misses home, her pup and the peace of the mountains.
On her Wish Day, surrounded by Ravin, Feather and Bill, Paige opened a custom Hydro Flask set in her favorite colors with a logo she helped design. It was inspired by her love of dogs and her family’s special place by the lake.
A moment of joy, wrapped in healing paws and love. 💚🐾
06/17/2025
Amani should’ve been walking across the stage with her sisters, celebrating as a proud triplet on their big day.
But instead, she was in the Pediatric ICU, intubated, sedated, and fighting to recover.
She was extubated just one day before graduation, but still too sick to go home.
It was a bittersweet moment until something beautiful happened
“Thanks to Little Wishes, Amani didn’t miss her milestone.
With hospital staff by her side and her family surrounding her, she celebrated graduation in a way she’ll remember forever.”
06/16/2025
WILL POWER 💚
That’s what carried 13-year-old Will through month after month of chemo and those 2-hour drives to the hospital, over and over again.
Treatment for liver cancer was no easy road. But this week, Will got to trade hospital bed for fishing lines.
We sent him off with his wish: a bass fishing pole and the promise of summer on the water, finally free. 🎣🐟 Logan Health Children's
06/10/2025
When cancer makes everything feel scary, music is her comfort. 🎶 She’s been learning piano with the hospital music therapist and wished for her very own keyboard. One day, she dreams of becoming a singer, and now she’s already practicing for the stage! Music by
05/30/2025
He didn’t get to walk with his class, but he crossed a much harder finish line.
Diagnosed with osteosarcoma during his sophomore year, Landen’s path hasn’t looked like most. He tried returning to school junior year, but treatment made it too hard. Since then, the cancer has spread, and he has faced 7 major surgeries, countless radiation sessions, and countless rounds of chemotherapy.
And still, he never gave up on his education.
He finished online and earned that diploma!
So much love filled his hospital room because this moment deserves to be celebrated. 🎓💚
His graduation wish? Steam cards, so he can keep doing what he loves most during treatment: gaming. 🎮💛
05/20/2025
Two teen boys. One fight. One moment of joy.
Justin and Jovanni, fighters with the same diagnosis and the same hospital halls, came together for a surprise dual wish in the playroom.
For a little while, they escaped the weight of treatment and happiness took center stage 💚
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Since 2003, Little Wishes has helped seriously ill, hospitalized children from losing their identity to illness by tapping into their passions. We encourage even the tiniest of patients to identify their happiest desire and wish for something that will fill their heart and brighten their darkest days.
Each wish, no matter how simple – a princess dress, Spiderman figure, book or a musical instrument – makes a huge difference by providing a welcome diversion and easing the discomfort of long hospitalizations and painful treatments.
All wishes are granted in the hospital and delivered with fanfare and song by hospital staff to celebrate the patient and build a supportive community. Nine-year-old cancer warrior Ryker said it best: “Little Wishes gives you that ‘we can get through this feeling’,” upon receiving his wish of a crab leg dinner to curb his chemo craving.
What makes our Little Wishes™ program unique (and why we keep the gifts little) is that a qualified child may make another wish 14 days after receiving their first little wish, and every 14 days thereafter. This is really meaningful for children who endure frequent hospitalizations or for a child who has been in the hospital for weeks or months, even years at a time.
Little Wishes has granted over 16,000 wishes in 22 hospitals in 12 states. Our current quest is to raise enough funds to keep on granting children’s wishes in perpetuity.
Your support will make a huge difference! Over 90 percent of every dollar donated goes directly to children's little wishes.
Founded by two pediatric oncology nurses in loving memory of a sweet eight-year-old Giants baseball fan named Josh.
