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 »
We Give Thanks for Many Things February 5, 2014 Christian L. flown by command pilot Dale Lamberton 9.24.13 Christian L. was born a healthy little boy on February 28, 2013. Once home though, his mom worried that his breathing seemed labored and his color wasn’t right–not like the other three babies she’d had. She was told several times that if he was eating, he was fine. However, at his t… Cheri Cimmarrusti Read More »
First Flight on a Small Plane – From a Teen’s Perspective January 29, 2014 Angel Flight West flies patients of all ages to medical treatment. This week, we are going to focus on what it is like for a teenage patient flying to treatment with volunteer pilots. In 2013, Angel Flight West pilots flew a total of 485 flights for 172 passengers age 12-18. Some of these teens were flying for the first time with AFW and some were longtime passengers continuing their treatment. Kody took his first flig… Jill Dannis Read More »
Angel Flight West from Parents’ Perspectives January 13, 2014 Many Angel Flight passengers are children traveling to treatment that is not available to them locally. We’d like to share some letters that we have received from parents as a reminder of the generosity of our pilots. As one parent notes, flying in small aircraft can be a really amazing experience for both children and their parents. It also takes a huge burden off of parents seeking to give their kids access to needed m… Jill Dannis Read More »
The Spirit of Giving December 24, 2013 During the holiday season, we are all reminded of what a joy it is to give, and also, how much joy a gift can bring. We’re a bit spoiled at Angel Flight West, since facilitating the giving of our volunteer pilots is our daily work. About 10 times each day, an Angel Flight West volunteer gives of himself or herself to provide transportation to someone else in need. We’d like to share a letter that we received fro… afw_web_admin Read More »