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.”

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