Our Crowdfunding Groups
Our crowdfunding campaign has ended but you can still support the 3 Wishes Program by clicking here.
Patients in the ICU face critical illness and sometimes, difficult end-of-life decisions. The 3 Wishes Program is almost entirely donor-supported and provides the best possible end of life experience for patients and families by celebrating lives and supporting the grieving process.
The 3 Wishes Program began in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (RRUMC) in December 2017. Thanks to overwhelming positive feedback from patients and families, and generous contributions, 3 Wishes has expanded to 7 units at RRUMC and the UCLA Santa Monica Hospital.
The program has fulfilled a variety of wishes for ICU patients. Patients have asked to hear a cherished piece of music, to have a wedding ceremony from their hospital bed, to spend their final moments outdoors, to visit with a beloved friend or pet, to taste a favorite food or drink, and to have their room decorated with their favorite photos, to name a few.
We honor our patients' wishes to the best of our ability to meet the following goals:
Your gift to the 3 Wishes Program, no matter the size, can help fulfill the often simple and inexpensive wishes of critically ill patients in the ICU. Your contribution offers comfort and peace to patients and grieving families.
At the end of life, it's really the small things that matter. The average cost per patient is just $30. The effect this program has on patients and their loved ones, however, is truly priceless.
The 3 Wishes Program was first introduced in Canada in 2013. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is the first hospital in the U.S. to adopt the program in its Medical Intensive Care Unit. Drs. Thanh Neville and Peter Phung launched the 3 Wishes Program and hope to see it grow to benefit even more patients. Since its inception in December 2017, the program has granted over 1,000 wishes for over 300 patients.
3 Wishes has gained the ability to continue its mission through generous donations from families and individuals. It is our hope that the 3 Wishes Program will become available to every dying patient and their family in our health system.
Donations ensure that we have the resources to create meaningful, dignified memories for patients and their families during otherwise difficult times.
Thank you in advance for your kindness, generosity, and for helping the 3 Wishes Program honor patients' lives and create positive memories for their loved ones.
WORDS OF GRATITUDE
"Dear 'Three Wishes' Research Team,
The lovely harpist, beautiful orchid plant, and entertaining golf game...thank you very much for EVERYTHING!
Your heartwarming card with personal messages is truly touching, and we sincerely appreciate your kind words.
We hope that the 'Three Wishes' Program will continue to thrive and inspire others...and, we shall hold onto these warm memories with a 'smile'! Many thanks also for the precious thumb print!!
Our Love and Gratitude Always"
"Although my husband did pass away after three weeks at UCLA, they were the most peaceful days for him throughout the whole ordeal. Every single person who took care of him did their best to be so kind and caring.
It was always going to be a horrible time for me, but the Three Wishes Project meant more to me than I can ever begin to tell you. I thought I would die right along with him. The nurse took me to pick out a blanket first. We both loved the ocean so much, and there just happened to be a beautiful blanket with seashells and seahorses and colors of the ocean. We put the blanket on him, then they put on soothing spa music for me, set up a lavender infuser, and a cart with things to eat and drink in case I needed anything.
There is no way for me to thank everyone enough for all they did for my husband and myself. I know God lead us to UCLA, and I am more than thankful that my husband’s passing was so gentle.
The Three Wishes Project made this whole thing so much easier for me to deal with. This is a program that meant the world to me. It made the most difficult thing in my life easier knowing that we were surrounded by people who truly cared about us.
Thank you for this incredible gift. Bless you all!"
-Cathy Reardon, 3 Wishes patient spouse
If you do not wish to receive further fundraising information from UCLA Health Sciences, please either call us at (855) 364-6945 or email us at OptOutUCLAHSD@support.ucla.edu, providing your name, address, phone number, email, and from which department you're requesting to be removed. Please review UCLA and the UCLA Foundation’s Disclosure Statements for Prospective Donors at www.uclafoundation.org/disclosures
You can give a family a lasting memory of their loved one. Your gift will help us provide families with a thumbprint keychain, a hair keepsake, or a framed word cloud.
The average cost of a patient's wish is modest: just $30.34. The impact the granted wish has on the patient, the family, and their care team is truly priceless.
A patient's wish costs around $30 on average. Your gift of $100 could grant three or more wishes!
You can provide the family members comfort to humanize the dying process and create positive memories of their loved ones. Your gift can grant wishes to 8 patients!
You can bring celebration and meaning to patients’ lives by honoring the patient and dignifying the process. Your gift can grant wishes to 16 patients!
The hope of the 3 Wishes Program is to continue to expand the program to UCLA Health’s other units and even other hospitals around the country. Your gift can contribute funding to the expansion and impact numerous patients, families, and clinicians that could benefit from this remarkable program.