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 »
Dogs With Wings: AFW Partners with Search Dog Foundation October 24, 2022 Since our inception, Angel Flight West (AFW) has proudly joined forces with a range of non-profits that extend and enhance our mission of delivering health and hope through donated flights. In 2020, we embarked on one of our most enriching collaborations yet — by offering continued support to the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF). Command Pilot Jerry Phan takes to the skies with Keiki. Rescuing and rec… Jessica Hayes Read More »
International Jet Donates Flights to Angel Flight West Passengers October 12, 2022 Last month, International Jet donated 10 hours of flight time to help Angel Flight West’s (AFW) passengers travel between their homes and medical facilities, with stops being made in Wyoming, Montana, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. Three different patients and their families boarded the LearJet 55, a mid-size jet with speeds up to 480 miles/hour. International Jet covered expenses related to the flight, inc… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Finding Hope in an Online Community: Breast Cancer Awareness Month October 11, 2022 October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a campaign to educate the public about the impact of this daunting disease. According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), an expected 285,000+ diagnosed cases will occur in 2022 in the United States making breast cancer the second most common cancer among American women. Angel Flight West’s (AFW) volunteer pilots and airline partners help patients fight ca… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Unexpected Help: Tristan Travels 500+ Miles to Treatment September 25, 2022 Ashlee was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when her three-year-old son, Tristan, was diagnosed with leukemia. Suddenly, their family’s world was turned upside-down. Life was a dizzying blur, full of unanswered questions. “There’s so much information,” Ashlee said. “You don’t know what you’re going to need. You don’t know how you’re going to survive.” To further complicate matters, Ashlee and her husband, C… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Angel Flight West Helps Make Amputee Conference a Reality for Bernardo September 18, 2022 https://blog.amputee-coalition.org/events/angel-flight-west-helps-make-amputee-conference-a-reality-for-bernardo/ Click “Continue reading” in the link above to learn how Angel Flight West and Alaska Airlines helped Bernardo and his wife make it to the Amputee Coalition National Conference. Jessica Hayes Read More »
