Timely Flight Assures Baby’s Heart Repair
The Internet is a powerful tool for patients and families seeking information about rare disorders, among all the other things found on the super highway. Through an Internet support group, Ashly and Ronnie discovered Dr. Frank Hanley, the renowned pediatric cardiologist who could help their eight-month old son.
Baby James had turned blue right after he was born. At the University of Maryland Medical Center, testing showed he was suffering from a rare condition known as tetralogy of fallot. James was born with almost no pulmonary artery. He underwent surgery, with the surgeon installing a conduit for the missing artery.
“The doctors thought it was successful,” Ashly said. “It worked for about three months. But then they noticed that the heart wasn’t doing as well.”
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When Shirley H. was diagnosed with breast cancer this past December, she and her husband, Duane, were devastated. The couple lives in Black, Alabama, near Dothan. Duane’s father has been battling cancer for 10 years, and Shirley’s mother also has the disease, but in her case, none of the different treatment regimens prescribed have succeeded in “getting the cancer under control,” Duane said.
By: Tim Homa
A rare disease can dim the human spark but in the case of three Chesapeake, Virginia brothers suffering from RP, or retinitis pigmentosa, the smiles are radiant. Ryan, 20, Justin, 18, and Jordan, 14, take Angel Flights every two years to Harvard Medical Center to be treated for a genetic eye disorder that gradually leads to loss of vision. The boys receive experimental treatment from the nation’s leading RP specialist, Dr. Elliott Berson.
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 osteopathologist and a specialist in vision development. Chana, who has Down’s Syndrome, suffers from complications in vision coordination.
Mercy Medical Airlift is 25 years old, cause for celebrating the tens of thousands of patients who have benefited from charitable medical flights throughout the years. To recognize the many dedicated individuals who have contributed to the growth and development of our charitable services, MMA hosted a banquet on May 9 in Gainesville, Virginia, at the beautiful Heritage Hunt clubhouse and featured highlights from the new documentary, Mercy Medical Airlift: Compassion Takes Flight.

