Since 1980, Disney and Make-A-Wish have granted wishes for more than 155,000 children with critical illnesses worldwide. In fact, historically, one out of every two wishes granted in the U.S. has been a Disney wish.
The entire Disney family works with Make-A-Wish to grant life-changing wishes, including theme park and resort vacations, cruises, shopping sprees, studio visits, talent meet-and-greets, sports-themed experiences and more.
Creating Magical Wishes Together Since 1980
Oban's wish to be a National Geographic explorer
After months of painful medical treatments and surgeries that temporarily stole Oban’s ability to stand, his wish presented an opportunity for him to reconnect with his greatest passion: nature.
Oban glowed with joy as he joined National Geographic Explorer Carlton Ward, Jr. for a riveting adventure through a Florida nature preserve, where they tracked and photographed birds, wild hogs and more!
“[Oban’s wish] brought him back to being himself, which is who we want him to be. We’ll always remember this experience.” – Tom, Oban’s dad
Bella's wish to meet an Imagineer
Evan's wish to go to Walt Disney World Resort
When Evan’s family learned his cancer was progressing, they looked to Make-A-Wish to help build strength and bring them together for a joyful experience outside of the hospital. With his doctors’ approval, Evan wished to go to Walt Disney World Resort to get a piece of his childhood back and meet some of his beloved characters.
"I think we would all cure cancer if we could, but we can't. But what we can do is help people make great memories." – Evan's dad, Nathan
Sasha's wish to hug Donald Duck
After two years of nonstop hospital visits, wish kid Sasha from Make-A-Wish Oregon, celebrated the end of leukemia treatments with a transformational visit to the Walt Disney World Resort to give a big hug to her all-time favorite character, Donald Duck!
“Before, we were living day to day, but after we went on the wish trip, we had this beautiful opportunity to just live in the moment and experience joy and celebrate that we were about to be done with this very hard chapter. The work that Make-A-Wish does, along with Disney, changed our lives significantly. It was truly magical.” – Randi, wish mom
Eva's wish for a Disney-themed bedroom makeover
While recovering from leukemia treatments in the hospital, 3-year-old Eva relied on her favorite Disney princesses to comfort her. For her wish, Eva’s bedroom got a royal Disney makeover.
“We are just so very grateful to Make-A-Wish for making this happen. Her wish exceeded all our expectations and really just made her room so magical and just, you know, transformed it to feeling like you're part of a Disney movie.” – Gregory, Eva’s dad
Seth's wish to visit Marvel Studios
Giselle's wish to go to Walt Disney World Resort with her sister
After so much time apart, Giselle’s wish strengthened the bond with her beloved sister while on a magical trip to Walt Disney World. Hand-in-hand, the sisters experienced a pure moment of childhood together after a season of pain and isolation.
“Make-A-Wish gave us an opportunity to forget everything we have gone through and enjoy a moment of happiness.” – Estefania, Giselle’s mom
Henry's wish to give back to Doernbecher Children's Hospital
Jevon's wish to go to Walt Disney World Resort
In the darkest of moments, there is one thing that helps Jevon endure grueling treatments for his genetic disorder: his love for watching Mickey Mouse on TV! That’s why Jevon wished to visit Mickey at Walt Disney World!
Disney welcomes Make-A-Wish families as first aboard Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Addie's wish to be a voiceover actor at Pixar
Myka's wish to meet Patrick Mahomes
Violet's wish to go to Disneyland Resort
Maria's wish to be a princess
Tyler's wish to go to Walt Disney World Resort, then and now
Seventeen years after his life-changing trip to Walt Disney World Resort, Tyler’s wish still impacts his life today.
“My wish gave me reasons to dream and built me up as a person. It inspired me to keeping pushing forward during a time when I really needed something positive to hold onto … Having a wish granted continuously inspires me to give back and be the change I wish to see in the world.” – Tyler
Ethan's wish to meet Luke Bryan
“Our favorite part as a family was being able to spend this time with Jevon and not having to worry about appointments or therapies. We just spent time enjoying each other. We will always treasure this experience.” – Crystal, Jevon’s mom
Click on each photo below to learn more about the life-changing wishes Disney helps to grant.
Maria always dreamed of becoming a princess. For her wish, she became royalty! Her wish day was filled with presents, a makeover and a personal video from Disney Princess Belle, speaking Spanish like Maria!
"Maria was fascinated by Belle and kept telling me that 'Belle is like me, we are the same, she speaks Spanish like me!' We are beyond grateful for Make-A-Wish and Disney for granting Maria her wish - it exceeded our expectations!" - Brenda, Maria's mom
The words we love to hear - "I'm going to Disneyland!" For wish kid Violet, whose wish was granted by Disney and Make-A-Wish in 2013, this life-changing wish trip was even more magical because it helped her find her passion for performance.
From a young age, Myka has loved watching football. While enduring grueling hospital stays, Myka found comfort by watching her favorite team, the Kansas City Chiefs, and their quarterback and two-time Super Bowl MVP, Patrick Mahomes. Watch to see Myka’s reaction when her wish to meet Patrick Mahomes comes true on ESPN’s “My Wish.”
Addie has always dreamed of becoming a voice actor and using her skills to represent what it's like to be a part of the disability community.
"My wish day at Pixar gave me the confidence to know that I could be a voice actor someday. I plan to pursue voice-over acting as a career and this experience has been life-changing." - Addie.
Wish families from across the country experienced the ultimate journey aboard Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, an immersive new adventure at Walt Disney World Resort. From lightsaber training to meeting Chewie, these wish kids had the time of their lives on their wishes to experience the Galactic Starcruiser.
In June 2018, Henry was diagnosed with cancer. While he was in treatment at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Doernbecher Children's Hospital, he stayed strong for his family, but often felt scared and nervous - until a nurse gifted him a teddy bear.
"I was in a really tough place but those teddy bears made me smile and gave me a little joy and warmth in my heart. I loved that and I wanted to bring that to others." - Henry
Together, Marvel Studios and Make-A-Wish helped bring Seth’s wish to life! Wish kid Seth had the opportunity to meet the sound editing team working on Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow” and participated in a post-production sound mixing session on the Disney Studio Lot. Seth was inspired by his wish experience and is currently studying audio production in college as he prepares for a future in the sound industry.
Thousands of children fighting critical illnesses have wished to visit some of the happiest places on earth – Disney Parks. But occasionally, a child’s one true wish is to dig a little deeper and learn how the magic is made by the brilliant minds at Walt Disney Imagineering. Watch as wish kid Bella’s unique Disney wish is granted – to meet a Disney Imagineer.
Disney and ABC work with Make-A-Wish to fulfill thousands of wishes annually for kids facing critical illnesses, like Ethan who wishes to meet Luke Bryan. See the power of a wish through his American Idol journey.
After months of painful medical treatments and surgeries that temporarily stole Oban’s ability to stand, his wish presented an opportunity for him to reconnect with his greatest passion: nature.
Oban glowed with joy as he joined National Geographic Explorer Carlton Ward, Jr. for a riveting adventure through a Florida nature preserve, where they tracked and photographed birds, wild hogs and more!
“[Oban’s wish] brought him back to being himself, which is who we want him to be. We’ll always remember this experience.” – Tom, Oban’s dad
Click on each photo below to learn more about the life-changing wishes Disney helps to grant.
When Evan’s family learned his cancer was progressing, they looked to Make-A-Wish to help build strength and bring them together for a joyful experience outside of the hospital. With his doctors’ approval, Evan wished to go to Walt Disney World to get a piece of his childhood back and meet some of his beloved characters.
Last month, 19 wish kids joined the first multi-day Star Wars-themed wish event at Disneyland Resort – Blaze Your Path: A Star Wars Adventure.
After an immersive breakfast where kids could choose to follow the light or dark path, the unique experience featured droid building, a scavenger hunt and an immersive private dinner and dessert party in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland park. Each child also got to make their own wish related to Star Wars come true – from making their own lightsaber to meeting their favorite characters.
The experience was filled with joy, hope and laughter.
Disneyland® Resort Brings Wish Families to a Galaxy Far, Far Away
