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Mercy Medical Airlift News
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Mercy Medical Airlift Stories
Hopeful Flight Marks Child's Birthday
 Chana's fifth birthday this year was more than cake and presents. On August 28, she was flown from San Diego back to her home in Monsey, New York, 40 miles north of New York City. The trip, provided through Mercy Medical Airlift's charitable ticket program, enabled Chana to see a world-renown ostiopathologist and a specialist in vision development. Chana, who has Down's Syndrome, suffers from complications in vision coordination.
The bubbly little girl is in very good health compared to other children with Down's Syndrome. However, her optical complications require special attention. Doctors have recommended surgeries and glasses, but an ostiopathologist in San Diego treated Chana a little differently.
Ostiopathology is a treatment utilizing manipulation where doctors put their hands on the patient and work with bone movements. Dr. Frymann, Chana's ostiopathologist in San Diego, has had marked success in improving her vision. Chana's father, David, said within two weeks they noticed positive results with both her vision and cognition. She has also been answering questions much more quickly since their return home.
"She's holding onto her improvements," David said.
Previous treatments had shown positive results for a couple of weeks, but Chana would always regress back to her complications.
David, who accompanied his daughter on the flight, says he heard about Mercy Medical Airlift through an organization he had previously worked with called Miracle Flight.
"It was one or two days later and we had our itinerary. It was shocking," he said. "It was so easy and fast, it couldn't have been any better."
David says he accompanies Chana at her appointments while his wife stays home with their other three children.
On the plane, Chana watched her favorite DVD, an alphabet learning program called "Love and Learning" made especially for special needs children. She also colored with her crayons on the flight, and her father said she was up and down and walking around the aisle.
Fortunately, David has found a doctor closer to home who uses the same techniques as Dr. Valenti, the vision doctor in California. Dr. Wiener practices in North Island, New Jersey. He attended school with Dr. Valenti, who has given him instructions about Chana's condition.
David, too, is given instructions for home exercises with Chana. She will look at objects close up and then at a distance, as a kind of eye training method, her father said. Chana also sees another ostiopathologist in the Bronx once a month.
David says without help from Mercy Medical Airlift, Chana would not have all the opportunities she needs to develop into her potential.
With the high prices of airfare, he said Mercy Medical's provision of flights is a huge help. "The flight gives us the opportunity to go to California as often as Chana needs. Without the help, we wouldn't be able to do it. We really appreciate it."
Twins Depend on Airlifts for Life-Saving Treatment
Ashley and Amber were among the first children enrolled in a clinical trial to treat Congenital Lactic Acidosis, or CLA. The condition leads to the abnormal buildup of lactic acid in the blood and spinal fluid. Without specialized treatment, CLA victims usually die as teenagers.
Dr. Peter W. Stacpoole directs the study, which utilizes the drug Dichloroacetate (DCA) to help reduce acidity and which seems to improve neurologic function. The twin girls, now 15, started taking trips to the University of Florida Research Center in Gainesville when they were two years old. Through its Child Lift program, Mercy Medical Airlift has provided free air transportation for Ashley and Amber and most of the other 42 children participating in the trial since 1995.
Ashley and Amber live in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their mother, Gina, says that without the drug DCA and Mercy Medical Airlift, the twins wouldn't be alive today. Though Ashley can't walk or talk and both girls are in wheelchairs, they are mainstreamed ninth graders and "very happy", according to their mom.
Since that first child lift, MMA has been contacted to provide charitable flights related to 120 studies throughout the United States.
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| Ashley and Amber, shown here at age seven, owe their lives to the drug DCA and the charitable flights provided by Mercy Medical Airlift. (Courtesy of University of Florida General Clinical Research Center.) |
As director of the university research center, the distinguished Dr. Peter W. Stacpoole "has gained new insights into mitochondrial diseases" such as CLA. (Courtesy of UF General Clinical Research Center.) |
Cancer Patient Flown from Upper New York State to Seattle
Richard was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer - a condition really not that uncommon particularly for older patients. The only place where the special bone-marrow work could be done for Richard was at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle.
Richard is 72 years old and with his wife lives on Social Security and a really small pension. Multiple round-trips via the airlines to Seattle was out of the question. There simply were no funds to pay for tickets. The 10% senior citizen discount didn't make much difference.
Resources obtained through the Mercy Medical Airlift Charitable Airline Ticket program provided funds to obtain airline tickets leaving from Philadelphia for the west coast. A volunteer pilot organization then arranged for a private aircraft transport from upper New York State to Philadelphia and return. Richard is doing well with his bone marrow transplant.
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