On a Mission to Make a Difference
Every time retired psychologist
Dr. Lewis Young, 72, straps himself into the cockpit
of his twin engine piper, he’s on a mission.
Sometimes it’s to get a patient to a far-away
hospital for surgery, chemotherapy, or dialysis; other
times, to get much needed blood donations to other
parts of the country, or to provide transportation
for family members who couldn’t otherwise be
with a sick loved one.
“I love flying and get
a lot of satisfaction out of making charitable flights,”
says Dr. Young. “People are so grateful and
it really makes me feel good inside to know I’m
helping someone in need.”
Dr. Young, who lives in southwest
Kansas, is one of the 6,000 volunteer pilots who fly
for Angel Flight America, a nonprofit charitable organization
that arranges free air transportation for any legitimate,
charitable, medically related need.
“I first learned about
the charity at an aircraft owners and pilots convention
in January of 2001, and was immediately hooked by
the opportunity to make a difference,” says
Dr. Young. “Over the past three-and-a-half years,
I have flown nearly 250 Angel Flight missions. I do
it because I feel fortunate in my life and this is
my way of sharing my success with others.”
Dr. Young has transported people
with a wide range of maladies, including cancer patients
in need of radiation treatments, older people with
heart problems, and kids with birth deformities. “Every
flight is special, but the ones that involve kids
make lasting impressions on me,” he says. “Take
for example a little 8-year-old South Carolina boy
with a leg deformity. He’s a really neat kid,
and he and his family are so pleasant and thankful
every time I bring them to and from Shriner’s
Hospital in St. Louis,” he says. “I’m
more than happy to help out in any way I can.”
“Air transport is the
most comfortable way to travel, particularly if a
patient lives far away from their treatment facility,
but cost often prevents them from choosing that option.
There is never a fee of any kind, either to the patient
or the health care provider for an Angel Flight. The
costs are paid by the volunteer pilots,” says
Gary McMahan, Executive Director of Angel Flight America.
To be eligible for an Angel
Flight, patients must have a legitimate medical need
to avoid lengthy surface transportation, and be unable
to pay for it. They must also be ambulatory and able
to travel in a small, non-pressurized aircraft without
access to lavatory facilities; have a letter from
their physician or treating institution verifying
their need for assistance; and if they require assistance,
a family member or caregiver to accompany them. Angel
Flight aircraft are not equipped for medical emergencies
and volunteers are not able to provide any medical
service before, during, or after the flight.
“The most satisfying thing
for me is just helping other people get through life
more comfortably than they would otherwise,”
adds Dr. Young. “Long trips to the hospital
on the ground would be debilitating for the people
we transport.”
Angel Flight is supported primarily
by the pilots who fly the missions (by donating the
use of their airplanes and operating expenses) and
by contributions from individuals, foundations, service
clubs, social and religious groups and corporations.
Hospital social service workers
or friends who desire to arrange transportation for
a patient should contact the Angel Flight office in
their region to obtain required documents necessary
for qualification.
