Make-a-Wish foundation has faced a lot of criticism after it said that it would not offer wishes that required large gatherings or involved flights. The foundation fulfills wishes for terminally ill children between the age groups of two and a half years to 18 years. This decision was taken in consultation with doctors, medical professionals and more from the National Medical Advisory Council. The foundation was also following advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy for Pediatrics.
On Thursday, in a video message Richard Davis CEO and President of the Make-a-Wish foundation said that wishes involving large gatherings or air travel would restart on September 15. He said that it would restart for those who were two weeks past full vaccination and that they had reached this decision focusing on a family’s health and safety.
However, many took to social media to condemn the decision as children below 12 are not eligible to take vaccines. Some children are also ineligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine due to respiratory issues. Recent research has also thrown up rare cases of heart inflammation for those below thirty after taking a second dose, despite Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna saying that they had not seen such cases in their trials.
The Make-a-Wish Foundation clarified that their earlier decision has been misinterpreted by some. It told the Daily Mail that they understood that there were many families whose children were not eligible for the vaccine, at this period of time and they also knew that some families were not ready to get vaccinated.
The statement also said that they respected everyone’s freedom of choice. It said that the foundation would not require anyone to get vaccinated to get a wish. They would continue to grant wishes for all eligible children, including those who have not been vaccinated.
The statement also confirmed that Make-a-Wish foundation was still willing to fly gravely ill unvaccinated children to fulfill their wishes. It also said that it was excited with the prospect that it could lift restrictions when guidelines from the CDC allowed it to do so.
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