Looking for info on Mercy flight for sick sister

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KellyEK

Filing Flight Plan
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Nov 19, 2009
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Grand Haven, Michigan
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Kelly
Thank you in advance for any info or advice you can send my way...
I have a terminally ill sister who wants to come from South Carolina (Columbia area) to West Michigan to be with her family in her final days. She is stable, but has some weakness on the right side and cognitive issues which makes travelling for a day and a half to get her here a daunting task. She has been in treatment for almost 4 yrs and is currently getting radiation treatments for recently discovered brain metastasis, has been trying to raise a family on disability, and does not have the financial means to get a commercial flight home. She will also be bringing her 14 yr old daughter with her, as well as our mother who flew down there a few weeks ago to be with her when she was discharged from the hospital. I am a hospice nurse and our hospice team will help care for her when she gets here to Michigan, but it's the getting here part I need advice on. My brother in law, who flies a single engine plane, suggested posting on this board and thought I would get some helpful information. We would like to do this in the next couple of weeks. Anything you can suggest would be appreciated.
 
Take care, I am sure this is a trying time.

You can also try www.angelflightcentral.org or also lifelinepilots.org (Bruce C. who posts here is involved with Lifeline). There are a number of volunteer pilot organizations who will be eager to help you out.

The patient/passenger information may stipulate that a person be unable financially to afford other means. However when folks who are immune compromised or have other considerations that rule out commercial travel -- arranging a compassion flight is straightforward.

If you aren't able to find what you need in short order please PM me and I can help out more directly.
 
Kelly first sorry to hear of your sister's illness. There are a lot of good organizations that can help and do what we call compassion flights. Check out Angel Flight East. http://www.angelflighteast.org/ or Angel Flight Georgia http://www.angelflightsoars.org/index.htm . The Angel flight organizations are not all the same but they generally coordinate to get a patient from point A to point B.

you may need to get your hospice to put in a request. Generally patients need to be referred from a care provider. Its not a big deal. Once the referral has been made I am sure she will get a pilot in no time. Best of Luck!
 
Adam is right, generally they want a social worker to put in the request however I have booked flights for my Grandmother and for a neighbor and was able to provide the necessary information (of course I flew them too). If you call any of those organizations they'll be very straightforwrd to get you set up.

They will want a release from from a physician that she can fly in an un-pressurized airplane and in my experience all they needed was the name of the doctors office and they sorted it all out.
 
Call AF of Georgia and tell Janine I sent you.
Lifeline will do the second leg.
I don't know AF Ga's number, ours is 800-822-7972 we can set it up the other way around, too.
 
Kelly, my prayers to your sister and to you.

You are a special person to be a hospice nurse.

Finally, thank God for Dr. Bruce and others like him who perform such missions selflessly.
 
bbchien said:
Call AF of Georgia and tell Janine I sent you.
Lifeline will do the second leg.
I don't know AF Ga's number, ours is 800-822-7972 we can set it up the other way around, too.
Click to expand...
Angel Flight of Georgia is 770.452.7958 or 1-877-426-2643.

Great organization.
 
Thanks to all of you for your information...it brought tears to my eyes to see that this might be easier to accomplish than I initially thought. My brothers and I just want to bring our sister home to be where she is loved and to make her passing a peaceful one. She is only 47 and has no support system in SC. I will contact AF of Georgia and keep you updated on what happens. Kelly
 
Kelly, you've had good responses here, I have nothing to add other than to say how special you are to be a hospice nurse, and to say I'm sorry to hear about your sister. I'm glad she has such a loving support system. Hospice helped us more than I could have possibly imagined during the final days of my mother-in-law's life, at our home. Many blessings to you and those that do the kind of work you do.

Please let us know how it goes with finding the flight your sister needs to be with her family... as with hospice workers, I think you'll find the General Aviation community to be compassionate, too.

One link not yet shared, with many resources listed: http://www.gaservesamerica.com/involved/volunteer.html
 
Kelly,

I am based in West Michigan, and could do this flight - the whole flight. Can probably do non-stop, or for passenger comfort one stop on the way home for a rest and stretch the legs, and take care of any potty breaks.

Edit: Sent you an e-mail through the board with my contact info and some additional information.
 
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Wow Ed and Kelvin you guys are great. Kelly regardless of who flies your sister they will need to know at the very least how much each passanger weighs and if they have any luggage or other equipment ( ie ox tanks) and how much it weighs. Try to get this info together to present to who ever takes your sister so they can make the appropriate safety decisions.
 
Kelvin said:
Ed, I can do the lower leg of it if we can make this work...
Click to expand...

Either way. It's only a 3.5-4 flight from CAE to Grand Rapids (well, Hastings) but if you want to pick that up, Huntington, WV looks about 1/2 way from CAA to 9D9 275nm-288nm. I forget what bird you have.
 
To keep you updated...I have been in contact with Kelvin and Ed and they have both generously offered to coordinate getting my sister home from South Carolina to Michigan. This will happen sometime next week and Ed will be able to bring them right to Grand Haven airport, about 2 miles from my home. In my line of work as a hospice nurse, we are often privileged to witness the generosity of spirit of so many who help make our patient's journeys easier, but I have to say that what I have found here is right up there. I slept well last night for the first time in weeks, knowing that we have a way to bring everybody back home. Many thanks to both gentlemen for being so generous with their time and resources. God does have a way of answering prayers. Kelly
 
AWESOME!

BTW...and I know some will get indignant and the fiefdom circling will begin, but this thread, and the multiple "call this org" responses shows there needs to be a central, NATIONAL, contact group that can farm out to the various players in this arena.
 
Just want to wish Ed (and Kelvin, too, if he's flying a leg of this trip--it wasn't clear to me if they're both participating) tailwinds and good flying weather for tomorrow's adventure. Good job, gentlemen!!
 
Yeah, Kelvin is on the first leg. Got a little weather scare here tonight when I looked out and saw massiv snow flaskes falling. Pulled up the radar, and see it's just lake effect, which is the norm this time of the year. Only makes the last 30 miles or so an issue. If need be, I land at Hastings (which is just outside the snow area), and drive them the last little bit in the truck to Grand Haven.
 
tdager said:
AWESOME!

BTW...and I know some will get indignant and the fiefdom circling will begin, but this thread, and the multiple "call this org" responses shows there needs to be a central, NATIONAL, contact group that can farm out to the various players in this arena.
Click to expand...

Nothing to properly be indignant about, seems to me.
 
BZ, Ed & Kelvin!

Air Care Alliance start to fulfill the national mission, but is unfortunately relegated to more of a clearinghouse role than an actual coordination role, which makes it less effective than it could be, IMHO.
 
Ed even washed up for it.

Again, Bravo Zulu, Ed Fred, and Kelvin.

What you do says a lot about who you are.
 
I just read about this on a different board. What a heartwarming story.

Blessings to you guys and Donna and Kelly!
 
I cannot thank Kelvin or Ed enough for their generosity and determination to get this done, with asking nothing in return. Donna has settled in nicely and she was admitted to hospice yesterday. Kelvin, I wish I could have met you in person and to give you a hug for all you have done. You even kept my mother entertained so that she didn't think about her flying fears. The pic of mom with the headset on was fantastic and I will post some of those as soon as I can figure out how to do that! I contacted our local paper because I wanted to let others know that there are people out there who do for others without asking anything in return. Kudos!!!!!!
 
Kelly, just a bit of a side diversion - my interaction with hospice professionals when my mother was dying left me with a profound appreciation and awe for what you do. I hope for the best for you and your family, and that you can create some warm and wonderful memories to keep with you forever.
 
Kelly - I'm glad things worked out for you and your family.

Kelvin and Ed, it is great to know folks like the both of you. :thumbsup::cheerswine:
 
Thank you all for the messages and prayers. All are welcome and I am touched by the genuine concern that has been expressed for my sister and my family. I count each day as a blessing, especially knowing that they are finite. We got a foot of snow last night and today, so glad we were able to get Donna home earlier this week and avoid that whole mess. Tomorrow is my birthday and this is the best birthday present I could have gotten! Kelly
 
Way to go guys! Great PR for GA, and awesome thing you did! Ed, those tip tanks are looking nice ;)
 
Ed and Kelvin. What you two did is beyond words. What a fine representation of the kind of people that hang out here.

RT
 
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