Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The request is received in collaboration with the legal guardian, provided that the following conditions are met:

  1. The child is between 3 and  17 years old.
  2. There is a medical diagnosis of a critical illness from a Greek hospital.
  3. The child has not previously received a wish from Make-A-Wish or any equivalent organization worldwide.

The organization responds to every request from a child who meets the age and medical criteria, regardless of nationality, religion, or financial status.

A condition—acute or chronic—is considered critical when it:

  • requires high‑risk treatments
  • presents long‑term complications or comorbidities that affect quality of life
  • requires the use of medical devices or equipment
  • is life‑threatening for the child

In every case, we consult the child’s attending physician as well as the medical advisors of Make-A-Wish Greece.

Categories of Eligible Conditions

For questions regarding eligibility criteria or the application process, please contact Make-A-Wish Greece at 210 9637660, extensions 118 or 203.

Malignant hematological diseases and oncological conditions, such as:

  • Acute and Chronic Leukemia
  • Solid Tumors and Brain Tumors
  • Bone Marrow Transplantation

Chronic Hematological Diseases requiring transfusions or other long‑term treatments, such as:

  • Aplastic Anemia
  • Thalassemia
  • Sickle Cell Disease with complications

Immunodeficiency Syndromes, such as:

  • Congenital immunodeficiency with known limitations in life expectancy or need for bone marrow transplantation
  • Acquired immunodeficiency with symptoms (HIV infection with symptoms or significant immunosuppression)

Metabolic Diseases, such as:

  • Severe Insulin‑Dependent Diabetes Mellitus
  • Gaucher disease with progressive neurological involvement

Neurological Conditions, such as:

  • Cerebral palsy with comorbidities
  • Any progressive or degenerative neurological disorder
  • Any progressive or degenerative myopathy, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy or other types
  • Any severe congenital malformation
  • Severe refractory epilepsy

Cardiac Conditions — all diseases involving heart failure or persistent cyanosis, such as:

  • Dilated Cardiomyopathy and congenital heart failure
  • Congenital heart defects
  • Transplanted patients

Gastrointestinal Conditions, such as:

  • Congenital Biliary Atresia
  • Severe Short Bowel Syndrome
  • End‑stage liver failure
  • Solid organ transplantation

Renal Conditions, such as:

  • Kidney failure
  • Kidney transplantation

Pulmonary Conditions, such as:

  • Complex severe Cystic Fibrosis
  • Complex severe bronchiectasis
  • Lung transplantation

Rheumatologic Conditions, such as:

  • Juvenile Arthritis
  • Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Genetic Conditions, such as:

  • Semilobar holoprosencephaly, quadriplegia
  • Severe congenital spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia
  • Mowat–Wilson Syndrome

Other Conditions, such as:

  • Congenital dyskeratosis, allogeneic bone marrow transplantation
  • Congenital aniridia
  • Congenital bilateral cataracts