After Two Years and a Dozen Flights, This High School Grad Is Ready to Take on the World
After Two Years and a Dozen Flights, This High School Grad Is Ready to Take on the World
Before heading off to her final Shriners appointment and last Wings of Hope flight this past April, Valentina was excited “just to be a normal girl again.”
The 19-year-old who lives outside of Nashville, Tenn., took her first flight with Wings of Hope in January 2023.
“I needed surgery on my femur because my left one was shorter than my right one,” she said. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do it in Tennessee, and Shriners Hospital was the best place to do it here in St. Louis.”
Leg-lengthening is a long process that requires multiple surgeries, physical therapy, and follow-up appointments.
“We’d fly every two weeks, then two months, then three months, and so on,” Valentina explained. “I’ve flown 12 times total so far.”
David Lewis is one of Wings of Hope’s volunteer pilots who has flown Valentina and her mother for the past two years.
“Flying our patients to and from their appointments makes their lives much, much easier,” said David. “Some people live a day’s drive away from St. Louis, and we make their trip two to three hours.”
Before Valentina and her mom learned about Wings of Hope, they drove to Shriners Children’s St. Louis — a 10-hour roundtrip drive that cut into Valentina’s school day and the family’s routine.
Valentina said flying with Wings of Hope changed her life.
“Without Wings of Hope, I wouldn’t have been able to get my very first surgery which helped me even out my legs and my femur. And, today, I wouldn’t be able to hike and do things outdoors. Now, I get to go home without screws and rods and things in my body.”
She also has seen how Wings of Hope has helped others.
“I’ve flown with other families before, and I’ve seen how stressed out they are and how much they struggle,” Valentina said. “I don’t think they could do it without Wings of Hope.”
The Wings of Hope flight crew is just as excited as Valentina to see her progress.
“It’s just been amazing to see her transformation,” said David.
We caught up with Valentina in early June, and she said, “things are great since my last flight.”
“Doctors noticed a difference in my leg strength and recommended physical therapy — which I actually finished going to just last week!”
The recent high school graduate said she is “super excited to pursue an economics major” when she starts college in the fall.
Reflecting on her Wings of Hope experience, Valentina had “only good things to say.”
“The pilots were extremely attentive toward my mom which helped relieve discomfort post-op. When reaching St. Louis, we were always greeted by a staff member and offered snacks to help with our inevitable motion sickness. All in all, Wings of Hope thought of everything that their patients may need — and made my experience flying with them memorable.”