There are so many joyous Little Wishes moments that we share on social media, but what many people do not see is what we call the “silent wishes.” These wishes are not documented, but they are so powerful that they can literally change a distressing situation into a positive and healing moment. Whether a child is suffering from extreme anxiety due to treatment or trying to cope with the loss of privacy and body image changes, or the stages of end-of-life, when we walk in the room with a little wish…all seems right in that moment. And that is what it is all about. In moments of joy and in moments of sorrow, Little Wishes provides us with a support structure like no other. The magic that Little Wishes brings to our patients every single day is something that we will never forget.

A wish: An expression of hopes and desires. Little Wishes allows us to make our patients’ littlest (but, sometimes, big scale—giant stuffed dragons and 2000pc Lego sets) hopes and desires tangible. Since beginning Little Wishes in 2017, we have granted over 1600 wishes to patients on the cardiac and hematology/oncology units. There are insufficient words to describe the anticipation and excitement of our patients and families as they wait for and receive their little wishes. From birthdays to graduations and more—our patients often describe Little Wishes as one of the “best” things about their hospital stay. Hence, we were so grateful to expand Little Wishes to our Transplant unit this year.  A special moment we will always remember is when our first oncology wish was delivered with the help of one of Little Wishes’ first recipients, nurse Sarah Sisk. Thank you, Little Wishes, for bringing a piece of normalcy and many joyous moments to our patients at LPCHS!

Heading into our fourth year with Little Wishes, it's hard to remember how our hospital ran without this incredible program. Working with an organization that doesn't cater to a specific diagnosis has allowed us to support so many deserving patients that are often overlooked. Each child or teen goes through their own struggles while hospitalized, and Little Wishes helps us address each one of those individually. We see how much it means to them to have the opportunity to pick out their wish and regain some choice and control in an environment that takes so much of that away from them. Many of the patients we serve here in the Bronx come from low-income communities, and Little Wishes means so much to these kids who have so little outside the hospital. It would truly be impossible to be as effective in our day-to-day jobs of supporting these patients and families without having Little Wishes by our side.

There are truly not enough ways to describe how extraordinary Little Wishes is and how much light and joy the program brings to our patients and families. Play is a child's language, and as a Child Life Specialist, it is an essential part of my role to promote normalcy and diversion through developmentally appropriate play opportunities to enhance a child's sense of control in an environment that can often feel threatening and unfamiliar. Little Wishes gives me the incredible opportunity to grant a child's wish to allow them to feel excited, empowered, and hopeful with their favorite things that they would normally have at home or use with their family and friends. Enhancing this sense of normalcy, control, routine, and connectivity is an essential piece to promoting positive coping and healing for our pediatric patients. Little Wishes adds an unimaginable extra layer to what I do every day, and we, at WVU Medicine Children's, are so fortunate to be part of the magic that it brings.

Partnering up with Little Wishes has been a game changer for our hospital. This program has brought light and joy to our patients and families, especially during their long hospitalizations, and helps us to provide normalcy for our patients. A recent wish stands out to show this impact: We were able to grant developmental toys for a 4-month-old who has been here for her entire life. Her mother was grateful and stated, ‘It’s been a rollercoaster, but Child Life and Little Wishes has always reminded me that despite her medical challenges, Milani is just a baby too and needs to do baby things. Thanks for being that glimmer of light!’ Little Wishes has helped us to be the vessel to brighten up a patient and family’s day.

Little Wishes has been the shining light at our hospital for the last 2.5 years. This organization has allowed us to put smiles on our patient’s faces who have had to be admitted for extended hospitalizations, birthdays, and milestones. Granting wishes helps us to provide a positive experience during a dark time. Seeing the staff come together and get excited to deliver a wish has also helped boost morale during these difficult years in the medical field. We are so thankful to Little Wishes and what they have been able to provide to our patients.

Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital is so proud to be a ‘Little Wishes’ hospital since 2007! Little Wishes has been such a bright light in the darkness of injury and illness. These ‘little’ wishes can literally transform a child’s hospitalization into a healing ‘staycation’ providing them with so many comfort and coping tools. This is especially helpful for our patients who are in the hospital for weeks and even months. It is an honor to be able to provide these moments of joy to our patients. We are so grateful for Little Wishes and for all they do for our patients and families.

"Guess what day it is? IT’S LITTLE WISHES DAY!” Oftentimes it’s hard to tell who is the most excited, the patient getting their little wish, their parents, or the staff who gather around to see what’s inside the package. At Ranken Jordan, most of our patients are in the hospital for weeks, months and sometimes even longer. These long inpatient stays can be daunting with rigorous days of therapy and treatments while being away from their family and friends. Having a little wish to look forward to helps make their day a little brighter and give them something to work towards. From new sneakers, to tablets, to bird feeders, birthday cakes, or adaptive clothing, Little Wishes supplies the special extra needs to make being in the hospital easier and more like home. Delivering Little Wishes is the best part of the day!

I’ve been a Child Life Specialist for 25 years, and I’m not sure what I did for 24 of those years without the gift of Little Wishes! We feel so fortunate to be able to offer little wishes to our patients because we see the impact, and we would not otherwise be able to provide consistently. This incredible partnership enables us to lift kids’ spirits in the midst of a new and scary diagnosis and during long, hard and discouraging stays. They also come along side with us and help create festive and colorful birthday and end-of-treatment celebrations. Our entire medical team loves to get in on the action making sure we don’t miss a birthday and happily donning and doffing tutus, head-bobbers, pompoms, and funny glasses for our fun wish deliveries to our precious patients. We are incredibly blessed to be a part of this goodness! We have so much gratitude for all the thoughtful donors who help more wishes come true.

Little Wishes has helped to promote a sense of hope and joy to all who are impacted by the program. Being able to tell families that we can support them and provide little wishes at the bedside perks up the spirits of patients and often provides a sense of relief for parents. For the parents, not having to leave the hospital to go shopping and spend additional money on top of mounting hospital bills has shown the depth and reach of the program’s impact.

These “little” wishes have a BIG impact and are such a magical way of connecting our Child Life team to patients who are withdrawn, bringing smiles to children's faces that we hadn't seen in days. They give us the opportunity to let kids take control in the hospital and keep even our sickest patient's spirits up through months of isolation. The other wonderful thing that Little Wishes does is bring hope to caregivers. We have heard so much gratitude from parents who say that when their child received their Little Wish, they saw a glimmer of who they were before they were diagnosed or hospitalized.

Little Wishes is amazing, and we are so lucky to be able to offer wishes to our patients. When a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness or needs to be hospitalized for a long time, so much control is taken away from them. Little Wishes helps bring back some control to the child by allowing them to pick a wish of their choice. Little Wishes has done so much for our patients, and we cannot say thank you enough and how grateful we are to be part of the Little Wishes family.

It has been a privilege to be one of the first hospitals ever to have Little Wishes! This program is so unique and has provided a way for us to bring joy and laughter in some of the darkest of moments. Over 4,000 little wishes have been granted! Some of our favorite wishes are end of treatment celebrations, birthdays and even a recent line dancing party for a teen fighting cancer. We are incredibly grateful for the donors who have allowed us to continue bringing happiness every single day for 16 years!

It is never easy to be in the hospital for an important milestone such as a Birthday or Graduation. We are so grateful to Little Wishes for providing us with the ability to celebrate the patient in a way that is unique and special and to celebrate who they are by tapping into their passions. Allowing them to pick their favorite desserts, food, room decorations and especially their little wish gives them so much control when so much is taken away.  Thank you for bringing lots of joy and so much good to our patients and their families during these difficult times.

Little Wishes is beyond amazing! Providing wishes has enhanced our patients' hospital stays more than words can even say! From Air pods to Legos, from toddler toys to super special comfy pillows, the patients have so enjoyed choosing, receiving, and using their little wishes. It is amazing to see the joyful expression of the patients and families when we introduce the program and then change to a look of disbelief when they find out that not only can they get 1 Little Wish, but they can get multiple Little Wishes throughout their treatment. The distraction, comfort, and pure happiness that Little Wishes provides is such a blessing to the patients.

One of the most powerful ways that Little Wishes helps our patients is by allowing them to ‘own their space’ while in the hospital. Instead of a sterile room filled with equipment that is always beeping, Little Wishes provides the opportunity to fill that room with items that are uniquely theirs. For example, I had a patient who during treatment spent over four months in the hospital with only short breaks at home. Each time, their ‘move-in’ became more and more complex as they added a canopy over the hospital bed, a comfy chair, fairy lights and picture frames on the wall, craft kits in cute storage bins…all from her little wishes. By the time they were finished, the room didn’t feel like a room, it felt like her room. It’s situations like this where the impact of Little Wishes goes beyond what arrives in the bags with the green tissue paper.  It changes the entire tone of a hospital stay, and that is magical.

We are so fortunate to have Little Wishes at our hospital. Being able to grant a wish for our patients brings so much encouragement and joy to their already difficult lives. I have witnessed first-hand how a child can go from scared and angry to feeling excited and grateful when we offer them a little wish. One seven-year-old girl used to dread her long journey to the hospital for pokes and chemotherapy, but once introduced to Little Wishes, she couldn’t wait to arrive and receive her little wish! Little Wishes has both united our staff and empowered our patients to battle their medical condition in a positive and fun way.

Little Wishes has benefited our patients beyond what words could ever describe. A hospital is a scary place and generally is seen as a negative experience in our patients and families’ lives. It is my job as a Child Life Specialist to try and help these pediatric patients and their families have as positive of an experience in a hospital setting as possible. Little Wishes has helped enhance this mission entirely. Sometimes there are kiddos who haven’t smiled ONCE since they have been here, and then they do a complete 180 when their wish is granted. This is nothing short of a miracle! We are so thankful for this program.

We are so grateful to be able to work with Little Wishes in bringing moments of joy to pediatric patients. Little Wishes provides patients and their families with something to look forward to during a lengthy hospital stay. It is an incredible feeling to watch a child’s face light up as they see their wish come true. Staff are always excited when it is time to deliver a little wish, as they love being able to help a patient feel special.

Little Wishes is truly an all-encompassing organization. They not only bring the biggest smiles and excitement to patients and families, but everyone is able to be a part of it. The entire medical team can celebrate the joy and see what something so simple can do for a child and get excited with them. It’s truly amazing what this program does!