Navigating Childhood Cancer Podcast
Welcome to the Navigating Childhood Cancer Podcast.
In this podcast, we’ll explore all aspects of living through a child’s cancer diagnosis. We’ll speak with parents, experts, caregivers, and maybe even the children themselves, to understand the issues, the risks, the struggles and triumphs. We’ll talk about how to cope, how to support your child, how to ask for (and accept) help from your family and friends, and how to handle all of the day-to-day challenges that you may face while on your child’s journey.
This is the information, and the community, I wish I had when my child was diagnosed with leukemia. My goal is to educate, to support and to inspire anyone who is living through a paediatric cancer diagnosis.
Navigating Childhood Cancer Podcast
Episode 20 - My Conversation with Make-A-Wish Canada
In today's episode, I am speaking with two representatives from Make-A-Wish® Canada.
You are very likely familiar with Make-A-Wish Canada. This is the charitable organization that grants wishes to children with critical illnesses. But you may not be aware of some of the interesting facts about Make-A-Wish Canada that I learned from this conversation:
- In 2023, Make-A-Wish Canada brought wishes to 1,389 wish kids and their families across Canada.
- A wish might be a chance to travel, to meet a celebrity, to have an experience, or to have an item or piece of equipment. And some kids are hoping to realize other dreams like recording a song or writing a book. The wish coordinators are so thoughtful and creative at helping kids to uncover their wishes and bringing them to life.
- Nearly 50% of children in Canada waiting for a wish have been diagnosed with Cancer. Wishes are considered to be an essential part of treatment and can even improve outcomes.
In the words of Make-A-Wish Canada, “Wishes are transformative, replacing fear with confidence, sadness with joy, and anxiety with hope. Make A Wish believes that through these experiences, children can discover that anything is possible.”
If you are interested in getting involved with Make-A-Wish Canada, either to donate, to fundraise or to volunteer, you can find them online at makeawish.ca.