Want to make a critically ill child's wish come true?

Many such children get better because strangers stepped in and helped them realise their wishes.

- Jeremy Lin

Every year in Singapore, over 200 children are newly diagnosed with critical illnesses that carry a high risk of imminent death.

As a child neurologist in a tertiary hospital, I have witnessed the significant impact of the illnesses not only on the children but also on the parents and their entire families.

During my early years as a doctor, I chanced upon Make-A-Wish Foundation and referred my first 10-year-old patient with a brain tumour to have his wish granted. His wish was simple — it was to relive his happy childhood memories of staying in Sentosa.

However, his condition had deteriorated significantly and fulfilling his wish became a challenge. Fortunately, his wish was made possible by a team of dedicated volunteers and medical support.

His wish brought hope, strength and joy to everyone involved, in intangible ways that medicine alone cannot provide. Even after he passed on, the wish remained a lasting happy memory and a continuous source of comfort for the family.

WHEN ILLNESS STRIKES

Fortunately, medical advances have enabled children to survive more critical illnesses.

Childhood leukaemia, once incurable, can now be treated with a protracted albeit challenging regime of chemotherapy and, in some resistant cases, advanced immunotherapy. But this does not take away the significant impact of a critical illness on a child.