Q&A with Dr. Douglas Scothorn

How long have you been involved with Make-A-Wish? Can you share a little bit about your history?

I started with Make-A-Wish in the North Texas chapter in 2004. In that chapter, I was an ex-officio Board Member (Vice Chair for Program Services), sort of a precursor to a Chapter Medical Advisor. I moved to Asheville, NC, in 2006 and immediately connected with our chapter here, serving one term on the Board. I was only peripherally involved (primarily as a referring physician) for the next few years until I ran into Make-A-Wish staff at a wish reveal in Asheville in 2014, and by 2015 I had begun serving as a Chapter Medical Advisor. I joined the National Medical Advisory Council in 2017. I have served as Vice Chair of the NMAC for the past year, and I began a two-year term as Chair of the National Medical Advisory Council this past November. I am also currently the Make-A-Wish America liaison to Make-A-Wish International, as well as one of four physician members of the MAWA Medical Steering Committee to help guide our emergence from COVID.

Why do you think wishes are an essential part of treatment for kids with critical illnesses?

One of the most important things that I have learned as a physician taking care of children with life-threatening and critical illnesses is that medicine is not enough to make life better for them. While medical treatments are important in treating their illnesses, the hope and joy created through wishes is vital for their emotional well-being and resiliency. We know that the mind, body and spirit all must work together for healing and, in my experience, there is nothing better at healing the mind and spirit than a wish.

How are chapters and Make-A-Wish America making changes to reach wish kids in underserved areas?

As a physician working in a predominantly rural area, the challenge of caring for children in underserved areas is one that I face on a daily basis. This challenge has been exacerbated tremendously by the COVID pandemic: both with respect to staffing issues within Make-A-Wish, and restrictions on gatherings and community events due to public health concerns.

Addressing these challenges requires creativity and a willingness to try new approaches. One approach, which has been very successfully used in this chapter, has been to coordinate wish visits with medical visits, to both place less burden on the wish volunteers and staff, and to allay potential medical concerns with the families regarding “strangers” in their homes.

Make-A-Wish, both at the national and chapter level, recognizes the importance of our wish granters, volunteers and staff being representative of the children whom we serve, with respect to issues including language, ethnicity, gender identity and geographic diversity. For Make-A-Wish, diversity and inclusiveness is not just talk; it is an intrinsic and vital piece of our mission.

In addition, engaging former wish kids in the organization provides a unique insight into the challenges which our wish kids face, that cannot be easily understood by those of us who have been fortunate enough not to have faced living with a critical illness.

Talk to us about travel reemergence and what that means for our chapter/ nationally for Make-A-Wish.

The COVID pandemic turned the world upside down, and Make-A-Wish has certainly been dramatically affected by it. From the beginning of the pandemic, Make-A-Wish has followed the best available medical and public health guidance in order to ensure the safety and well-being of our wish kids and their families. Now that effective vaccinations and medical treatments are widely available to treat COVID, we have taken an evidencebased approach to emergence from the travel limitations and restrictions, which were put in place during the early days of the pandemic.

So far, our emergence plan has been successful, but we recognize that ongoing vigilance will be required to ensure the we can continue to provide the best and safest wishes to all of our kids.

Meet Wish Kid Jaime

12-year-old Jaime wished to go to Boca Raton, FL. She loves marine life and going to the beach. On her wish trip, Jaime and her family were able to spend lots of time relaxing at the beach, snorkeling, and exploring the Palm Beach Zoo. She even got to pet a sea turtle!

When wish kids are granted a wish, they gain more than just a great experience for a day, two days, or a week. They create memories and moments of joy that they can look back on when things get tough.