Our Passenger Stories

Connecting patients with the care they need

PALS has now grown to over 32,000 flights for over 3,200 families and an astounding 6.5 million miles flown. Quite an accomplishment for a free air travel organization a little over 10 years old. Over the years and over many missions, we’re honored and humbled to hear how many lives we’ve been able to impact. Often times when a person is diagnosed with a life-changing illness, the care they need is inaccessible by car due to the repeat trips and length of each trip. When these families and individuals reach out to PALS, our team of volunteer pilots, flight coordinators and mission assistants go to work to make free travel to a medical facility or hospital possible. The stories we hear and our patients send us are all the reward we need. Below are a few of those stories.

Tommy is one of our newest SkyHope passengers but he’s also one of the bravest

When Tommy was diagnosed with a rare disease just 10 days after birth, joy quickly turned to despair. To get the care he needed, Tommy would have to travel 7 hours from home for multiple treatments. Commercial flights or ground transportation just wasn’t going to work.

Theresa and Oscar were made to be together. Getting them together is where she needed help.

During Army Captain Theresa Reer’s service in Afghanistan she sustained severe injuries requiring help with daily activities.

Solomon was ready for his battle with cancer. He just needed some help getting to his treatment center.

At just four years old Solomon had to face cancer. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York was the hospital that would help him beat cancer but the four to five hour drive by car was just too long for him to endure.

When Nicolas was hit with an unexpected illness, PALS stepped in with unexpected kindness

Hard work in the restaurant business was normal for Nicolas. When he started slowing down due to an illness, he knew the real hard work was just beginning.

Quinlee encourages all of us with her strength and courage

Since just 11 months old, Quinlee has been flying with PALS to receive medical treatment and she amazes us each time. She makes providing her with free medical flights rewarding in more ways than one.

Azran wasn’t going to let getting to the doctor keep him from getting better

Being born with a skeletal disorder, Azran required treatment in a facility over 12 hours away by car. That would be uncomfortable enough, but a full body brace would make it unbearable.