Make-A-Wish® Canada shows how wishes support a child’s medical journey with new series of films

Expanded platform challenges misconceptions about the role wishes can play in the treatment journeys of children facing critical illness

Today, Make-A-Wish® Canada unveils the latest chapter of Wishes Are Medicine, the organization’s platform launched in 2025 to challenge misconceptions about its work: that wishes are simply nice-to-haves, when instead they are an essential part of the treatment journey. The new campaign, a series of films, builds on that platform by spotlighting wish alumni whose stories demonstrate how a wish can provide hope, strength and motivation during some of the most difficult moments of a child’s treatment journey.

By bringing these stories to life on screen, and in print, Wishes Are Medicine invites audiences to experience some of the same joy and possibility that wishes create for the children who receive them, making the emotional side of healing something audiences can see and feel for themselves. While wishes are often viewed as a “nice-to-have” experience for children facing critical illness and their families, they can be a transformative source of hope and resilience throughout a child’s journey.

The impact of a wish can extend far beyond one child’s journey. Sharing stories of wish kids who found strength in their wishes can inspire others to help give that same experience to more sick children. At a time when Canadians are being asked to support an increasing number of urgent causes, demonstrating a lasting impact is critical to raising the funds needed to reach every eligible child.

At the heart of this Wishes Are Medicine campaign is the story of Damien, who was 12 years old and undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of cancer when his wish to become a paleontologist for a day was granted. A lifelong dinosaur enthusiast, Damien received a VIP, or “Very Important Paleontologist,” experience at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. More than a decade later, Damien is in full remission and joins thousands of wish alumni whose experiences demonstrate the lasting impact a wish can have during the most difficult chapters of a child’s life.

Beyond Damien, Make-A-Wish Canada is highlighting the stories of wish kids from across the country, including Leena, who wished to meet a princess; Ruth, who wished to meet a unicorn; Nori, who wished to go to Comic-Con; and Cooper, who wished to meet his favourite wrestlers. Together, their stories show the many forms a wish can take as well as the hope, strength and joy each one brings to a child navigating critical illness.

“Wishes Are Medicine was founded on something wish families have always known: a wish is more than an experience. It’s a powerful source of hope and healing during a child’s treatment journey,” said Meaghan Stovel McKnight, Chief Executive Officer, Make-A-Wish Canada. “This next chapter brings that idea to life through the voices of wish alumni who know firsthand what a wish can mean during or after treatment. Healthcare professionals and wish families understand the hope, strength and resilience a wish can provide. Our goal is to help more Canadians understand that impact, too, so we can reach more children at a time when they need it most.” 

To tell these stories, Make-A-Wish Canada worked with Zulu Alpha Kilo and Zulumatic Media, developing campaign films that put audiences inside the wish kids’ own experiences rather than describing them from the outside.

“By bringing wishes to life through the eyes of the kids who received them, we’re helping people see and feel their power firsthand,” said Jenny Glover, Chief Creative Officer at Zulu Alpha Kilo. “A wish is more than a moment of escape: it can give a child hope and strength through some of their hardest days, and inspire others to make the same possible for every eligible child.”

The latest Wishes Are Medicine campaign was developed in partnership with Zulu Alpha Kilo and Zulumatic Media and features wish alumni. The campaign was produced by Scouts Honour and TNT and filmed on location at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and Lakeridge Health in Oshawa.

Source: Zulu Alpha Kilo

  Advertising, Campaign, charity, Make-A-Wish Canada, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Marketing, Zulu Alpha Kilo