After many trips to the pediatrician, 2 year old Claire was diagnosed with HLH, a rare autoimmune condition that can be life-threatening. It began damaging her liver and spleen, and treatment required 9 months of blood transfusions, chemotherapy, heavy steroids and immune suppressant drugs to resolve her condition.
Claire’s family knew they had to act quickly. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital has the best doctors to treat the condition. But getting there on a commercial flight was impossible. Her mother said, “A commercial flight, with 200 people and someone might have a cold, could be devastating for Claire. We couldn’t take her to the grocery store, school, or even outside on windy days – much less take her on a commercial airplane.”
After months of transport to receive her care, a transformation is made again. Claire is back to as much of a normal life as possible, thanks in part to the pilots at Wings of Hope. “We have met 10 or so pilots and co-pilots during our trips. The pilots are excellent and make flying these small planes look so easy. The pilots are so generous with their time, and all the volunteers and administrative staff have been extremely kind, accommodating, and understanding.”