From Nurturer to Nurtured: Tim’s Battle with Merkel Cell Carcinoma August 14, 2023 As a retired educator, Tim spent years nurturing at-risk youth, using his carpentry skills to teach green building to his students. At the time, he was also balancing a return to college with being a single father to his two children. His efforts paid off, and he won a leadership award for his work with teens, bestowed by the Craig and Susan Thomas Foundation in Wyoming. Now, it’s Tim’s turn to be nurtured. Just over a yea… Jessica Hayes Read More »
How One Veteran Is Supporting Fellow Service Members July 15, 2023 Each year, Angel Flight West (AFW) partners with the White Heart Foundation (WHF) to fly veterans to the Guardian Project, a therapeutic outdoor experience for post-9/11 veterans. Your donation towards our summer fundraiser helps us arrange missions for veterans, ensuring those who have served can access the resources they need. Corporal Jed Morgan, the foundation’s camp creator and director, h… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Challenges Won’t Stop Campers From a Fantastic Summer July 6, 2023 Year after year our team has the privilege of witnessing the transformative power of summer camp season. We see the power these therapeutic programs have for young burn survivors, for children with life-threatening or life-altering illnesses, and for kids with a variety of needs and backgrounds. For many youngsters, camps are a summer sanctuary — a place where they can forget any troubles and make summer memories… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Four Siblings Fly to Deaf Camp with Volunteer Pilots June 5, 2023 A father of two small children, volunteer pilot Ori Zaitzman appreciates that his AFW missions can be tailored to fit his busy life. Last summer he flew two young brothers, Jaxon and Jaden, to Lions Wilderness Deaf Camp — a haven where deaf and hard-of-hearing children learn outdoor skills and form invaluable friendships. “I asked the passengers’ family if they wanted me to bring my puppy,” Ori said. “They wer… Jessica Hayes Read More »
General Aviation Saves Lives: Volunteer Pilot Flies First Angel Flight May 26, 2023 As an Angel Flight West passenger for the past five years, Joan is somewhat of a pro at boarding and flying to care in small planes. “I live in Las Vegas,” she says. “I had intestinal troubles beginning in 2014. Now, every three months, I travel to see my Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), Vascular and GI specialists at UCLA.” Knowing that paying for transportation to her medical care wasn’t feasible long-term, one of he… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Born With Bilateral Anophtalmia, Little Girl Loves to Fly May 22, 2023 For Heaven Wright, a single mother, finding a community of support has always been essential. Her two-year-old daughter, Monroe, was born without eyes — and the Wrights’ hometown of Las Vegas offers limited resources in optometry. “Monroe has hydrogels,” Heaven says, “which go in place of eyeballs and have prosthetic shells over them. We found a doctor in Utah who was the only doctor able to do those.” Now, Heaven an… Jessica Hayes Read More »
The Sky’s the Limit for Elias: Flights to Post-Transplant Care April 25, 2023 Each Angel Flight West passenger holds a special place in our hearts – and that includes the committed companions who accompany patients on their journey. A third of our missions are for minors traveling long distances to treatment, and it’s an honor to help lighten the load for the parents and caregivers flying by their side. As a single parent and foster mom in Spokane Valley, WA, Heidi began fostering… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Volunteers Give Patients an Extra Bit of Light and Hope March 28, 2023 Four months ago, amid raising five children between the ages of nine and sixteen, Margo received the shocking diagnosis of breast cancer. “From one moment to the next, anything can turn on a dime,” she says. “You think of nothing but getting better and getting to and from appointments.” But getting to care would prove to take more time and travel than expected. Margo’s best option for treatment was hundreds of m… Jessica Hayes Read More »
When Medical Care is States Away March 14, 2023 Jen had just made the big decision to accept a new position in Southern Oregon when another life-altering event crossed her path. “I found out I had Stage 1 ovarian cancer,” says Jen. “It was a huge shock. It doesn’t run in my family. And not to mention, I was in the middle of moving from Colorado to Oregon for my new job, so everything was already expensive.” As with most career transitions, Jen had a lapse in her employer-o… Jessica Hayes Read More »
From Flights to Friendships: Meet Teylor February 22, 2023 Teylor was 18 years old and opening a food truck at a local fair in Bedford, WY with two other teens when the unimaginable happened. As soon as the grill was lit, the propane exploded, filling the inside of the trailer with flames. Teylor was life-flighted to University of Utah, suffering second- and third-degree burns to 49% of her body. Her parents Shawn and Stephanie quickly drove the four hours to Salt Lake City to… Jessica Hayes Read More »
The Difference a Year Makes for Young Burn Survivors December 28, 2022 Angel Flight West Volunteer Pilot Peter Danzig flew Danielle and her son to the faraway destination, with Petertaking some extra time to show CJ parts of his plane when they landed. “It was so good for CJ to experience this,” comments Danielle. “Every time he sees a plane, he says he’s going to learn how to fly one day.” Jessica Hayes Read More »
Volunteers Takeoff on Third Annual Flights of Joy December 15, 2022 Angel Flight West’s volunteer pilots are transforming their planes into sleighs, bringing holiday joy to families struggling with medical or personal challenges and the financial burdens related to their healing and recovery. Flights of Joy, AFW’s Adopt a Family program, started in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Knowing that many families battling illnesses were also experiencing financial hardships, An… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Angel Flight West Remembers Miles the Brave December 2, 2022 Each of our passenger’s stories make an impact on me, and it’s never easy to lose anyone from the Angel Flight West (AFW) family. Today, I am honored to tell you about Miles, a loving child who touched the hearts of our volunteers and team members. Miles battled brain cancer for two years before passing away on October 21, 2022 surrounded by friends and family. His memory remains etched in the hearts and mi… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Nash’s Story of Flight and Hope November 22, 2022 Will you make a #GivingTuesday gift to help passengers like Nash today? It was Easter weekend when Kendyll and her husband Preston received the gut-wrenching news that their bright and shining one-year-old son, Nash, had cancer. Only two days earlier, Kendyll woke up to change Nash’s diaper when she felt a mass on the right side of his body. A trip to Phoenix Children’s Hospital followed by bloodwork, CT scans… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Volunteer Pilots Help Owen Go the Extra Mile to Treatment November 15, 2022 Since 2011, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, the 50 State Offices of Rural Health, and rural health stakeholders from across the country have set aside the third Thursday of November to celebrate National Rural Health Day (NRHD). This day promotes the “Power of Rural,” which brings much-needed attention to the ongoing efforts to communicate, educate, collaborate, and innovate to impr… Jessica Hayes Read More »
