A Mother’s Reflection: Angels in Hawaii February 17, 2022 January 28, 2021 was a day our family will never forget—our lives were forever transformed with our six-year-old son’s diagnosis of a brain cancer called Medulloblastoma. At the very start of this journey, we were transferred by air ambulance from our island, Maui, to Oahu, because our community did not have the resources needed to treat our son. We knew this would be a challenge we would have to face on our son’s road t… Kaitlyn McQuown Read More »
From Cheri’s Desk: Kicking off Camp Season July 9, 2021 Camp season started this year with a bang as Champ Camp returned! And what a joyous event it was for campers, counselors, pilots, and the Mission Ops staff. While those watching from the outside may have thought the staff was buried in craziness and chaos (and they would have been right!), the truth is we were so energized to be back making sure that 35 campers and two counselors-in-training made it to Wonder Valley near… Cheri Cimmarrusti Read More »
Please meet Zoe March 12, 2020 We’d like you to meet Zoe. Zoe was born with just 10 percent of a normal small intestine, which means her body can’t get enough nutrients from solid food, and she has to be fed through a central line in her chest. She spent the first six months of her life at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto where she nearly died. Now 13 months old, Zoe is back at home in Southern California with her parents and older sister. But… afw_web_admin Read More »
Wingspan August 29, 2019 by Ivan Martinez, Director of Outreach and Wing Operations Since the start of our “Ascent to 8,000” campaign, outreach has been an increasing focus necessary to fuel our journey and one we are very much still learning to navigate better. We continue our efforts exhibiting at conferences, reaching out to new requester and patient leads, and arranging in-service presentations–all in hopes that our name reaches the… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
5th Annual Princess Ball to Benefit Angel Flight West January 5, 2015 By Josh Faith – Parent of AFW Passenger Inspiration for the Ball The first Princess Ball was held in March of 2009 as a homecoming celebration of life and the completion of treatment for four year-old Valicity Lee Faith. Valicity was diagnosed with Leukemia on January 14… Jill Dannis Read More »
#GivingTuesday Surprise December 3, 2014 AFW had a wonderful #GivingTuesday yesterday, December 2. For those that don’t know about #GivingTuesday it is global day dedicated to giving back. On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world came together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give. One part of AFWs #GivingTuesday was a great news segment on KGUN 9 Tuc… Jill Dannis Read More »
“Safe passage: Angel Flight connects rural patients with volunteer pilots” October 28, 2014 The Casper Star Tribune recently shared a great Angel Flight West story on 18-year-old Angel Flight West frequent flyer Arianne Robledo. Arianne and her mother flew to Denver Children’s hospital for treatment that was not available to her in her hometown of Lander, WY. Check out the story here! Jill Dannis Read More »
Mesothelioma Patient Traveling on Wings of an Angel October 20, 2014 Angel Flight West was recently able to assist passenger Mike Rogers of Alaska with travel for a potentially life-saving trip to Pacific Meso Center. Via our partnership with Alaska Airlines, AFW flew Mike to California for a consultation, where Mike found out about a surgery that may extend his life beyond the six-month prognosis he originally received in Anchorage. Check out the full story by author Tim Povtak fro… Jill Dannis Read More »
Camper Photo Gallery August 12, 2014 Check out photos from some of our recent camp missions! This summer, volunteer pilots have flown kids to and numerous nonprofit camps – often the highlight of the summer for these campers. AFW pilots rock! Jill Dannis Read More »
“Watsonville ‘Angel’ Pilots Kid to Camp” July 30, 2014 This past weekend pilots flew campers to Camp Pacifica, a camp for deaf and hard of hearing children and their siblings. 18 volunteer pilots flew kids from various airports across California to the Atwater Airport (MER) in Merced, CA to drop them off for camp. One of our AFW pilots, Rayvon Williams, took Donna Jones, Santa Cruz Sentinel staff writer, along as his mission assistant. Donna met Ravyon’s passeng… Jill Dannis Read More »
Spotlight on an Angel – Roberta V. July 9, 2014 In my long tenure at AFW, I often meet passengers who I look forward to seeing at the Santa Monica office while they wait for their flight. One of these passengers is Roberta V. of Oakland, CA. Roberta has been flying with us since 2006 and has flown 168 missions. During that time, she has flown with 72 pilots–37 of those with pilot Victor Ninov! Roberta has giant cell sarcoma, a non-malignant bone tumor. In her case, the tu… Cheri Cimmarrusti Read More »
Passengers’ Feedback April 24, 2014 After each mission, we send out a Mission Feedback Survey that passengers can fill out to share their experiences with the Mission Operations Team. For many patients traveling to and from treatment, transportation is a significant burden that could block their ability to receive the care that they need. Angel Flight West pilots can make a huge difference in passengers’ lives by volunteering their own skill… Jill Dannis Read More »
AFW Requesters – Frequent Comments & Questions March 25, 2014 Angel Flight West utilizes aviation to increase health care access in order to improve health outcomes for critically ill people living within its service area. AFW is focused on increasing requests for service, which have declined in recent years. A requester can be any individual working at a health care facility, including a doctor, nurse, or social worker. Through a survey, AFW sought to better understand so… Jill Dannis Read More »
March 13, 2014 Photo Gallery March 13, 2014 Enjoy some photos from recent Angel Flight West missions. Jill Dannis Read More »
The Bingham Family – ‘Against All Odds’ February 19, 2014 Many of our Angel Flight West families are facing extraordinary circumstances in their daily lives. Our goal is to ease some of the burden that comes along with serious medical needs by providing free transportation for families in need of a little help. Today, we’d like to share with you the story of the Bingham Family. The five Bingham children all have a serious heart disease called Cardiomyopathy. Two of… Jill Dannis Read More »
