mma_banquet_mediumMercy 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.

Some 63 people attended, most from metro Washington, D.C. Volunteer pilots, board members, a patient and her family, staff members and friends enjoyed visiting during a reception followed by an excellent meal and program emceed by Edward Boyer, an MMA founder and the organization’s CEO and president.

Boyer introduced Camille Cormier, one of the first patients flown in the Cessna 421 air ambulance. The lone survivor of an airplane accident in California, Camille suffered extensive injuries and was transported by volunteer pilot Harvey Engen. With emotion, she told of the pain of losing her brother, who was flying the aircraft when it crashed, killing him and two other passengers. She also expressed her deep gratitude for Mercy Medical’s gift of flight.

The keynote speaker was board member Col. Randy Brandt, USAF (Ret), who reviewed MMA’s long, illustrious history, weaving in biblical verses related to helping one another that illustrate the charity’s impetus for service. Brandt interspersed his remarks with segments from the compelling new documentary, Mercy Medical Airlift: Compassion Takes Flight by Cross and Flag Productions that is soon to be released. Copies may be obtained with a donation to MMA. (Read the synopsis at the end of this article.)

Several tables lined the banquet room displaying various programs offering medical air transportation: Angel Flight, Air Compassion America, Mercy Medical Airlift and Air Compassion for Veterans.

For those who have advanced Ed Boyer’s vision of making sure no patient is denied access to distant, specialized medical care because of lack of funds for transportation, the evening was memorable and meaningful. “Seeing the faces of so many friends and dedicated supporters made our 25th year celebration special in every way,” Boyer said. “It’s been the Lord’s work from the very beginning.”

Mercy Medical Airlift: Compassion Takes Flight

“Hope is what we’re all about,” says Jim Smith, an executive with Mercy Medical Airlift. This national charity and its dedicated programs provide a service most Americans are unaware is even needed: patient travel. In Compassion Takes Flight, you will discover, for example, that 10 percent of our population suffers from rare diseases requiring specialized treatment far from home. Mercy Medical Airlift provides charitably donated airline tickets for such patients. Other patients in need travel for free on Angel Flights.

In this inspiring, hour-long documentary, take a virtual trip in a private aircraft with a volunteer pilot and patient from a small island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay to a medical center on the mainland. With no advanced treatment available on Tangier, islanders rely on Angel Flight to give them access to vital medical care. Meet Dr. Neil Kaye, a pilot, psychiatrist and Tangier resident who says the Angel Flights are “God’s work.” You’ll meet Dr. Donald Nuss, a pediatric surgeon from Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia, who pioneered a procedure to correct “sunken in chest,” or pectus excavatum. Many of his patients rely on Angel Flight in order to travel to Norfolk.

You will learn about other operations of Mercy Medical Airlift, including a national call center, an air ambulance program, and a service for military patients and families, Air Compassion for Veterans. To raise funds, Air Compassion for Veterans featured the Charlie Daniels Band at an event called Halos and Heroes, along with an honors ceremony for veterans and service members. The film’s patriotic finale will stir your emotions and highlight the generosity of America the Beautiful in organizations like Mercy Medical Airlift that are doing God’s work in a hurting world.