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 »
A Mission Moment by No. CA Command Pilot Dave Lombard October 24, 2018 Worthy of the Trust I have been flying Angels for about 14 years. I think over that time, I have pretty much seen it all. My first mission was a woman from northeastern California who was suffering from colon cancer. I also flew one of her neighbors who had breast cancer. They have both passed on. I live in the central California foothills, adjacent to the great San Joaquin Valley where we feed the world. There are a lot of ki… afw_web_admin Read More »
A Mission Moment – Passenger Larry G. June 13, 2018 The following article written by volunteer So. CA Command Pilot Tom Close in 2014 after flying passenger Larry G. on Larry’s first AFW flight is an example of the hidden benefits of being&… afw_web_admin Read More »
Alaska Air Blog: “Angel Flight West connects critically ill patients to life-saving medical care” May 20, 2015 Posted on Alaska Airlines Blog on May 20, 2015 By Halley Knigge, Staff Writer In July 2014, Mike Rogers was given three months to live. He’d been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive tissue cancer. But Rogers and wife Betty weren’t willing to accept the prognosis. “They told us he had three months to live,” says Betty. “We thought ‘No. No, no, no, no, no.’” The Anchorage, Alaska, couple started to researc… Jill Dannis Read More »
Randy’s Alaska Air Angel Flight May 11, 2015 FROM A PASSENGER by AFW Passenger Randy F. Excerpt from AFW Winter 2015 Newsletter I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in June 2014. I started chemotherapy the day after I was diagnosed. My oncologist let me know that I needed a bone marrow transplant and that they do not do these transplants in Hawaii. I needed to go to a facility on the mainland. Fortunately for me, my brother was a match and we chose City of Hope i… Jill Dannis Read More »
Hear From Our Passengers April 6, 2015 [raw] Want to hear what our passengers have to say about Angel Flight West? Check out some reviews below, and then head over to our Passenger Survey Feedback page to see more! Mission: 181598-1 on 10-03-2014 Passenger: Douglas H. (Post stem cell transplant (leukemia) At one time I didn’t think there were good people left . I am so thankful for the pilots and you. You have found the best people ever that have chosen to s… Jill Dannis 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 »
