Those who know him best describe two-year-old Colter as a mischievous and hilarious, “agent of chaos”. He is the youngest of three boys, but his older brothers still wait on him hand and foot. Despite his childhood cancer diagnosis, he’s full of life and energy.
Colter was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer called hepatoblastoma at just 18 months old. Shortly after, the family was referred to a specialist in Seattle for Colter to undergo a liver resection, a surgery that would take place more than 350 miles away from their home in Osburn, ID.
Chemotherapy had left Colter immunocompromised and unable to fly commercially, even if the family could afford it. With two other young children to care for, the logistics of transportation to and from Colter’s surgery were a worrisome stressor for the family. Enter AFW’s network of volunteer pilots.
Colter’s mother, Brianna, said AFW’s volunteer pilot John Jewett made their angel flight experience as comfortable as possible, picking the mother-son duo up at their nearest local airport. A highlight of the flight for young Colter was wearing the headphones, where he was able to listen to his pilot John as they soar through the skies.
Brianna and John remain in contact today, and she hopes Colter can meet him again. She says, “This is just one example of how people come out of the woodwork to help the kids who need it.”
Although navigating childhood cancer is difficult, Brianna says, “One of the truly silver linings in this process is finding out how many people there are who will drop everything and use their time, energy, talents, and resources to help kids with cancer. It’s truly one of the only things that made us feel optimistic at times.”
