Charitable Flights to Surgeries Help Child Reach New Heights

July 28, 2023

A Difficult Start with Surgeries

Gael was born prematurely. His heart hadn’t fully formed. He needed a specialized surgery called Patient Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) Ligation to make his heart work correctly. The doctors saved his life, but it came at a steep cost.

“After the surgery,” said Gael’s mother, Erika, “Gael was no longer able to breathe on his own.” He soon needed a tracheostomy tube to help him breathe.

After a short time, it became clear that Gael also needed a feeding tube in his stomach. These three surgeries would signal a difficult start to a difficult life.

More Years, More Help Needed

As Gael got older, he was diagnosed with subglottic stenosis. Excessive scar tissue from prior surgeries had narrowed his airway and paralyzed his vocal cords.

“Gael recently had an airway reconstruction,” said Erika, “so they could take the tracheostomy tube out.” Unfortunately for Gael, the airway reconstruction didn’t work. His windpipe almost collapsed. The surgeons had to put the tracheostomy tube back in.

At the Crossroads

Erika tried her hardest to give Gael a good quality of life, even with his challenges. Gael smiled for the camera in spring, played on the beach in summer, found colorful leaves in autumn, and marveled at holiday light displays in winter.

But as the seasons shifted and the years continued, Gael’s health reached a critical point. Specialists had to make a decision. Would they be able to reconstruct his airway and get the tracheostomy tube out for good? Or did they have to leave the tracheostomy tube in for a longer time?

From a Low Point...

There was just one snag in the treatment plan. And it wouldn’t be an easy one to solve. Many of the specialists that Gael needed to see were located hundreds of miles away. The latest appointment was more than 1,841 miles away.

Erika couldn’t afford to drive Gael to the care he needed. Flying was completely out of the question. “I’m a single mother,” said Erika, “and I have no support system.”

How would Gael access the surgery and care he needed?

...To New Heights

It was April 2022 when a team of angels came to Gael’s rescue - Mercy Medical Angels, that is! With funding from The Hogan Foundation, Mercy Medical Angels booked charitable flights on Delta Airlines and United Airlines. With transportation costs covered, Gael could fly to the surgeries he needed and back.

“Mercy Medical Angels been so helpful,” said Erika. “We really appreciate the charitable flights.”

"You Have Made a Big Impact..."

Gael is now back home and doing much better. He may need more help in the future. Erika trusts that Mercy Medical Angels, along with the airlines and foundations they partner with, will continue to help.

Erika wrote to Mercy Medical Angels, expressing her gratitude. One of the things her writing stated was that “you have made a big impact on my son’s quality of life.”

“We enjoy every minute of life, thanks to Mercy Medical Angels.”