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 26,000 wishes to date. Little Wishes continues to deliver wishes every day, bringing much needed delight to both hospital staff and young patients.

Little Wishes is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization

Federal Tax ID 52-2386886

We Partner with Hospitals Nationwide

Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area, Little Wishes now serves 36 hospitals in 21 states. We currently have over 80 hospitals across the country on our waitlist hoping to grant little wishes to their patients.

All wishes are granted in the hospital, and are often delivered with fanfare and song by hospital staff to celebrate the patient and build a supportive community.

Hospitals We're Located In Bring Little Wishes To You

Three people with wands and little wishes bags smiling, they are all standing behind a unicorn cake

Picture of a young child that is bald, wearing a hospital gown, and in a hospital. There is an iv cart behind him and a mickey mouse toy in the hospital bed and captain underpants book on the table

Our Inspiration

Little did we know that in the Fall of 2002, answering a hospital call light would create a legacy of joy that would touch thousands of seriously ill, hospitalized children across the United States.

On the other side of that call light sat a sweet 8-year-old boy named Josh who had just been admitted to the pediatric floor for treatment of a rare and aggressive type of liver cancer. His tumor caused his abdomen to swell into the size of a volleyball, and as nurses, we knew his journey would be a challenging one.

Josh’s days in the hospital soon turned into weeks. Even during his most difficult and painful days, Josh, an old soul, revealed that it was little things like a field trip to the hospital gift shop that proved to be the greatest adventure and provided comfort and distraction.

Tethered to his chemo and oxygen tank with two of us wheeling him, Josh headed straight to where he wanted to be – the candy display. His big brown eyes lit up, and even though he could not eat, just holding a colorful pack of Starburst brought him happiness.

Josh’s joy in such moments was palpable but mild in comparison to his devotion to the San Francisco Giants. Therefore, our medical team pitched in to decorate his room in orange and black memorabilia and cheered with him as the Giants inched their way to the World Series.

As the weeks progressed, so did Josh’s tumor, and his spirit began to wane. That’s when we decided to attempt to bring the Giants to Josh. A little serendipity and an elementary school directory led Dusty Baker, the manager of the Giants, to Josh’s ICU bedside.

Josh smiled for the first time in weeks, and it was that powerful moment, a “little wish,” that launched our mission to bring “little wishes” to other hospitalized children fighting big battles.

A few days later, Josh passed away. Fall 2022 marked 20 years since Josh began a beautiful ripple of 26,000 moments of joy and counting.

Laura Euphrat and Joanne Davantes, two of Josh’s nurses, founded Little Wishes in Josh’s memory. In 2003, Little Wishes was established as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization.