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People often ask if it’s sad to work at Make-A-Wish. The answer is an emphatic “no,” and the reasons can change the way you look at our mission.
It’s a 50-50 split when I tell people I work at Make-A-Wish®. Some say “Awww, that’s so nice.” Others say “It must be so sad to work there.” Response #1 deserves a blog post of its own. But it’s #2 that’s on my mind today.

It’s just not true. It’s rarely ever sad to work here. I know why some people might think so … because of the outdated notion that a Make-A-Wish experience is a last wish.

This myth weighs us down. It makes the parents of wish kids reluctant to embrace what Make-A-Wish can do for their kids. It makes them believe that, by referring their child, they’ve given up. If there’s just one thing I want parents to know, it’s that referring their child isn’t throwing in the towel … it’s a way to enlist new friends that can help rally their family. It’s a gift that will give each of them something to take their mind off the struggle against a life-threatening medical condition.

The idea that we only grant “last wishes” also keeps people from helping us in other ways – as donors and volunteers. I get it. Why would I want to support an organization that only serves children who will die?

But who wouldn’t��rally behind people who create an X factor, who can make life better for kids and their families?And there are also kids like Elijah, who wished to be a cowboy. His wish celebrated a new beginning in life, free from cancer.��

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