Michael (center) is a big help to his new brothers, Quinn (left) and Liam, Mom says.

I’ve been working for the past couple of days on an extraordinary newsletter story. It’s the account of a one-in-a-200-million mom who delivered identical triplets and never took fertility drugs. Those are the odds of that happening, according to Dr. Robert Kilev, a neonatologist at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Quinn, Liam and Hunter were born by C-section on July 27.

That Jami and her husband Patrick had the joy of seeing those sons draw breath is a miracle in itself. When she was 20 weeks into her pregnancy, Jami went into pre-term labor. Her doctor discovered she had a rare and dangerous condition called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. This means that the fetuses share the blood supply, with one being a donor, the other, a recipient, and the third, in this case, unaffected.

Her doctor arranged an appointment for her to see a specialist in Seattle at Evergreen Hospital. “They said to come now or I had a 90 percent chance of losing all three babies,” Jami told me. The appointment was for Tuesday, April 27.

But airfare would cost $1,200. “We couldn’t afford it,” Jami said.  Her mother-in-law, Penny, found Mercy Medical Airlift on the Internet on Sunday, April 25, and called, leaving a message.

Shortly afterwards, Executive Director Jim Smith called back to say he was buying airline tickets for Jami and Patrick. Talk about customer service! Penny laughed and cried all at once.

The couple flew out on Tuesday, in time for Jami’s afternoon appointment at Evergreen. On Friday, a procedure called fetoscopic laser ablation was performed using a laser beam to close the interconnecting blood vessels and thus restore normal blood exchange.

Jami’s boys were delivered six weeks early. She reports that they “are doing great” and are healthy. Hunter is still in the hospital and will remain there until he gains sufficient weight. Michael, Jami and Patrick’s two-year-old son, “is being a great big brother and is helping a lot,” Jami said.

For these high-risk, rare triplets to be born is the substance of miracles. For Mercy Medical Airlift to be an angel on time is a wonderful feat. To be able to write this story of happy outcomes is a privilege. Soli Deo gloria!

Safely delivered to the front door (L to R): Jackie with “killer dog” Misse, Stanley, Mike and Karolee.

How much does hope weigh, how much is it worth?

Ask Karolee and her 15-year-old son, Stanley, and they will answer with tears. Stanley has epilepsy, and his mom stays home to care for him. He had a week of testing scheduled to begin on July 19 at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, but Karolee’s car was undrivable and Stanley can’t fly on an airplane. How were they to get from their home in Charlestown, Indiana, to Cincinnati?

Angel Bus, Mercy Medical Airlift’s newest program, was created in 2000 to fill such a niche, and Stanley was its first mission following reinstatement in 2009. (After founder Bill Connor died in 2008, the service was discontinued, then turned over to MMA.)

Stanley and his mother traveled to the hospital in luxury, riding in a 40’ Mountain Aire motor coach owned by Mike and Jackie Miller. As an Angel Bus driver, this was Mike Miller’s first mission, too. While Stanley underwent tests to determine his eligibility for surgery to repair the section of his brain where his seizures occur, Karolee stayed in a Ronald McDonald House, and the Millers visited friends in Columbus, Ohio.

At the end of the week, the Millers drove their two passengers back home to Indiana.   

“This trip will always hold a special memory in our hearts,” Karolee wrote in a comment following the full story appearing at www.Angel-Bus.org. She said she cried when she read the article.

She hopes Stanley can qualify for the surgery, which she says has a good record of success at Cincinnati Children’s. That is our hope and prayer, too.

For years, Ed flew patient missions but now he flies an overworked desk.

Exciting news this week: Mercy Medical Airlift’s founder, CEO and president, has been selected for induction into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame. A reception, dinner and formal ceremony will be held on November 13 at the Virginia Aviation Museum in Richmond to honor him and other inductees. Mr. Boyer has been called the “father” of charitable medical air transportation because he’s devoted most of his life to make sure that no patient in need of specialized medical treatment is left stranded because of inability to pay for long-distance flights.

     All that sounds pretty formal. The truth is, around here, in the offices where we work, we think of our chief as a kind-hearted teddy bear with a no-nonsense manner who regularly writes email messages of import to colleagues at 2 a.m. and who often surprises us with a funny joke or wry remark.

       What is the significance of his award? As stated on its website, “The Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame was created by the Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society with the two-fold purpose of honoring those Virginians who have made significant and lasting contributions to aviation while preserving their stories for future generations. 

     “Since 1978 The Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame…has recognized 104 individuals from all areas of aviation including business, research and development, flight, maintenance, military service and government.”

            A few other things you should know about Ed Boyer: he’s a private pilot who gave up his airplane to fly the desk; his wife, Carol, is a creative soul and guiding light who served for years to serve as a fund developer for MMA; he has won numerous other awards such as the Virginia Department of Aviation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, AARP The Magazine’s Inspire Award, an Elder Statesman Award from the National Aeronautic Association; and a Spirit of Service Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service.

          He will tell you that his motivation in creating a national system of charitable medical air transportation is his desire to serve the Lord and help those in need.

     One final note: his favorite filler (one of his own invention) to use when a precise word isn’t necessary is “hooblobby.”

     Fortunately, we have a word for Ed that IS necessary: Congratulations! We’re so proud of you!

Steff (l) and Meaghan (r) get red carpet treatment at Texas Children’s Hospital.

All the patients and families we serve at Mercy Medical Airlift are special, for they face financial and medical challenges that most of us can’t begin to fathom. I’d  like to tell you about one such family from Toronto, Canada. Their story inspires me, and I think it will you, too.

Robert and Rita are the parents of Meaghan, 11, and Stephanie (Steffi), 13. who suffer from a rare disorder known as ASA (Argininosuccinic Aciduria). A third daughter, Natalie, 16, is untouched by the illness, which is characterized by elevated levels of ammonia in the body that can cause damage to the brain and liver.

Meaghan and Steffi needed more specialized care than was available at their local hospital. Their parents attended a consortium in Toronto recommended by their doctor. He told them that Meaghan and Steffi would be good candidates for a clinical study to be conducted at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. The parents filled out the paperwork, and the girls were enrolled in the research trial in October 2008. But travel costs were prohibitive. 

Then they learned about Mercy Medical Airlift from a nurse at the hospital in Houston and called for help. They’ve already taken two round trips to Texas and back, with MMA providing free commercial airline tickets. “It was smooth sailing,” Rita said. “Without MMA, none of this would have been possible.” She went on to note that the family enjoys a good relationship with the Houston doctors and medical staff. “They’re more like a family. They embraced us from the minute we walked into the hospital. They rolled out red carpet, hung balloons—it blew us away. We left with all of us in tears.”

Steffi, who has a milder case than her little sister, is a typical teen. “She’s into music, computers, clothes, and fashion,” her mom said. She studies drama at the School of the Performing Arts. Meaghan enjoys arts and crafts, dolls and computers. “She’s a happy-go-lucky girl.”

The girls follow a protein-restricted diet and take the supplement arginine. “We have to weigh everything morning to night. It’s kind of hard,” Rita said. Their older sister fully understands and respects her young sisters. We all eat according to our girls’ diets. The illness has brought us so much closer together.”

Alexis is one of 22,204 clients who received help from an MMA program in FY 2010. She has flown with Angel Flight to Boston to be treated for a rare disorder.

The figures are in for Mercy Medical Airlift’s FY 2010. We thank the Lord for giving us the resources to help so many hurting people. 

We served a total of 22,204 clients.

We completed 1,166 Angel Flight missions

We arranged 108 air ambulance flights through Air Compassion America.

We provided 5,023 flights for patients through our commercial airline program.

We provided 3,227 flights for veterans and families affected by deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan through Air Compassion for Veterans.

We answered 11,220 calls and email requests through the National Patient Assistance Helpline.

We provided 207 medical trips on busses through our newest program, Angel Bus. 

We are grateful to our donors for the generous financial and in-kind gifts that make it possible for us to serve. 

We appreciate our hard-working staff and dedicated board members. 

We’re here if you need us. Call 800-296-1217.

We look forward to another year of helping patients find “the shortest distance between home and hope.”

Dr. and pilot Martin DeBerardinis finds his volunter service to be deeply rewarding.

I’ve just returned from two days of good news.

Some 60 extraordinary Americans shared their stories of volunteerism at the National Jefferson Awards Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. June 21-22. This is considered the Nobel Prize for public service, founded in 1972 by Jackie Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Sam Beard and Robert M. Ford.

My husband, Wayne, and I were there to support Marty DeBerardinis, one of our Angel Flight pilots. In April, Marty had won a local Jefferson Award. He was one of 12 recipients chosen by their employer, AstraZeneca, in Wilmington, Delaware. Then, in another selection process, Marty was named as the national award winner, meaning he went to Washington.

The historic Mayflower Hotel was the setting for Monday night’s welcome dinner, followed by one-minute speeches from each award recipient. Marty explained his work of flying patients in his Piper Archer to distant, specialized medical care. Besides donating his private time and aircraft, he pays for all expenses associated with each flight.  

Marty is AstraZeneca’s Director of Medicines Evaluation. He says that flying for Angel Flight gives him “firsthand glimpses into how medicines make a difference in patient’s lives and how access to healthcare affects people in a health crisis, especially when cost is a fundamental issue.”

The next day, Jefferson award winners met with their U.S. senators. That evening, dressed in formal attire, we were all bused to the spacious, marble-pillared National Building Museum for the gala banquet and ceremony where a group of top-level recipients received Sam Beard, Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis, Champion and other awards. 

Among them were: a wish grantor (I called her a fairy godmother) for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the CEO of Goodwill Industries whose mission is to help the blind, disabled and disadvantaged find work, and a young medical student who founded a nonprofit organization called HEARTs to educate the public about basic health issues and provide free screenings while directing the uninsured to free health clinics.

Impressive people, all.

The Jefferson Awards keeps finding new ways to inspire and develop public service. Whether through its media partners, its “champion” corporations like AstraZeneca and other businesses that support the “Jeffs,” or the new Students in Action program, this organization is a powerful force for good. Visit www.JeffersonAwards.org.

When I interview patients for a newsletter or web article, I usually come away uplifted. Why is this so? You would think a person with an incurable disease or the parent of a child with multiple disorders would be depressed, bitter, angry. Certainly those emotions are present in all journeys of pain, but there’s a difference between experiencing negative feelings and being shaped by them. People whose lives are shaped by grace warrant my attention. They strengthen me with their sense of gratitude and their courageous determination to live as normally as possible. They are good teachers.

Here are two.

Renee is a 52-year-old woman suffering from TRAPS, a periodic fever disease that is the result of a genetic abnormality. The acronym stands for Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Associated Periodic Syndrome. The disease is difficult to diagnose and manifests in a multitude of painful symptoms.

“I have the symptoms of 10 different diseases,” Renee said. “I was tested 32 times for lupus.” When she was finally diagnosed in 2002, she thought, “I’m strong. I can beat this.” But she reached the point where she was in so much pain that she couldn’t get out of bed. This led her to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, where doctors prescribed Enbrel, a drug given intravenously. It’s the primary treatment for rheumatoid arthritis but has been used successfully to treat TRAPS. She takes injections three times a week and says, “It’s made all the difference.” Mercy Medical Airlift provided a round-trip ticket to Bethesda for Renee and her husband, Tim.

Renee works for Lenscrafters as an optician. She says she tries hard “to be  independent. I’ve always worked. You can’t give in. I watch other people [with the disease], and they become bitter and angry.”

                                                                *************

Jack and his mom, Heather, enjoy being up in the clouds.

Jack is a seven-year-old boy suffering from a rare bone disease called McCune Albright Syndrome As a result, his bones are fibrous, weak, and easily broken. Some activities, such as tackle football, are taboo. “We don’t treat Jack any differently,” his father, Paul, said. “If we treat him as if has a disability, he’ll think of himself that way.”

There is no treatment or cure for the disease, which is caused by a gene mutation.

Jack is enrolled in a natural history study at NIH that will help researchers learn more about the disease. They’ll follow him throughout his life.  To help with travel, his parents contacted Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic , a program operated by Mercy Medical Airlift. They  learned about the organization through a neighbor of Paul’s parents who is himself an NIH patient.

“This is our second year with Angel Flight,” Paul said. “Jack loves to fly. He falls asleep every time!”

The alienation that parents feel when their child is afflicted with a rare medical condition was eased for Paul and his wife, Heather,  when they found connection with the Magic Foundation.

The nonprofit charity offers support and resources for parents of children with growth disorders.  “It’s been a saving grace,” Heather said. “Our biggest base of support is other families with McCune Albright, especially boys who have it.”

During a recent four-day  visit,  Jack “went through it all, all day long, ” his mom said. In spite of the barrage of X-rays, scans, and needle pricks, her son “looks forward to coming here. He likes the game room, and he can order what he wants from the menu.”

She went on to note that her family “has had a good year.” She said Jack had broken his femur once and was unable to walk for an extended period. “It helps you keep in perspective what’s important in life. We ask people to pray for Jack and our family.”

Mercy Medical Airlift’s newest program, Angel Bus, is looking for drivers.

Angel Bus is patterned after Angel Flight, using volunteers to provide distant transportation for patients who need to travel to medical facilities for treatment. Like Angel Flight pilots, they do not charge for the service. But the difference is that Angel Bus volunteers drive their own motor coaches. They can offer comfortable quarters to patients who often need to lie down while traveling.

The nonprofit charitable organization was first established in 2000 by a bus owner from South Dakota, Bill Connor. His son, Jarad, was diagnosed with a brain tumor requiring treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. To get there, they used Bill’s converted GM bus, which enabled Jarad to travel in comfort.  While waiting at the clinic, Connor realized there were other patients who could benefit, as well. Thus, Angel Bus was born and quickly expanded beyond Connor’s home state of South Dakota to a nationwide system of volunteer drivers. Then, in 2004, his son passed away, and four years later, Bill died, too. But his vision lived on. His widow, Nola, turned the organization over to Mercy Medical Airlift, and Angel Bus was resurrected.

Patients are referred to Angel Bus from nonprofit groups like the National Patient Travel Center and Make-A-Wish Foundation. They must have a genuine financial need as well as a medical need for services that aren’t available locally.  The typical trip, or “mission,” is of a day’s duration, though there will at times be longer trips, accomplished by linking drivers and “handing off” the patient.

If you or someone you know owns a private coach and would like to become a dedicated driver, please visit www.Angel-Bus.org and apply under the “Drivers” button. Or, give us a call at 757-333-0084. We also welcome charitable contributions.

Angel Bus has about 50 drivers signed up, but more are needed. As Executive Director Jim Smith said,  “We’re looking for people with a heart to help folks who are hurting and who have the means to do it. For the patients who call on Angel Bus, the road is paved with hope.”