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A woman wearing a patterned dress and headscarf operates a sewing machine. She has a large swelling on her jaw and is focused on sewing fabric, seated against a plain, light-coloured wall.
A woman wearing a blue headscarf and printed dress sews fabric with a black vintage sewing machine, focussing on her work.
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Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Blue outline icon of a calendar with a grid representing days, shown hanging by two loops at the top, on a white background.

Each month, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with cancer.

Each month, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with cancer.

Blue icon of two overlapping medical documents, each featuring a plus sign in the upper left corner and horizontal lines representing text, on a white background.

Cancer is one of the most common condition categories affecting wish children.

Cancer is one of the most common condition categories affecting wish children.

A blue outline of an open hand with a star hovering above the palm, set against a white background.

A wish begins with hope, you can help to grant a wish for a child with cancer, today.

A wish begins with hope, you can help to grant a wish for a child with cancer, today.

Two women smiling and holding a boxed sewing machine together inside a bright room. One wears a floral dress, the other a blue shirt and patterned skirt. A Welcome sign with a cartoon monkey is visible nearby.

Jerida’s Wish

At 16, Jerida dreamed of becoming a tailor and worked tirelessly to save for sewing training and her first sewing machine. Just as that goal was within reach, she was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, and her savings went toward treatment. During her care, Jerida discovered a sewing class for patients, reigniting her passion. When Make-A-Wish® met her, she wished for a sewing machine. This life-changing wish was more than a gift, it was an opportunity to continue pursuing her future and reclaim a dream interrupted by illness.

Read More Wish Stories

I wish to have a soft elephant toy
A young child in a blue shirt sits with a large, pale pink stuffed elephant, looking at the camera—perhaps dreaming of Luca’s wish to fly in a helicopter. An adult’s hand rests gently on the elephant. The background is lit with purple light.

I wish to have a soft elephant toy

Binaya is a quiet and gentle four-year-old, currently living with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She fi nds joy in simple moments, especially when building little worlds with her colorful blocks.

Read Binaya’s Story
I wish for a battery-powered car
A young child wearing a mask and sitting in a toy car, inspired by Defne’s wish for a battery-powered car, holds the steering wheel whilst another masked child stands nearby, assisting or interacting with them. Both children appear to be indoors.

I wish for a battery-powered car

Defne Nuran is tiny but mighty, full of energy, giggles and big dreams. At just three years old, she is living with a brain tumor, but that hasn’t slowed her down one bit.

Read Defne’s Story
I wish to go on a boat
A smiling child with a bald head wears colourful traditional clothes and sits cross-legged on a netted area of a boat, with water visible in the background, dreaming of Jerida’s wish to have a sewing machine fulfilled.

I wish to go on a boat

When the Make-A-Wish team first met Prerana, she had been undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia for three months. The illness had cast a shadow over the whole family, and the smile that once came so easily had begun to fade.

Read Prerana’s Story
A yellow awareness ribbon with a subtle shine in the center, symbolizing support for various causes such as cancer awareness and suicide prevention, on a white background.

About Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

As children in many parts of the world go back to school, for children undergoing treatment for cancer there is no return to normality, no catching up with friends or recounting their adventures over the break. This typical childhood experience is replaced by uncertainty and isolation. There are missed opportunities and endless hospital visits. There is worry in their parents’ eyes and uncertainty about the future.

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Become a monthly donor

For a child facing cancer, hope is essential. Each month, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with cancer across Make-A-Wish territories. When cancer strikes, everything changes. That moment of diagnosis can replace a child’s hope for the future with fear and anxiety. A wish has the power to restore hope when it’s needed most.