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Thankful Thursday – Kim from Haverhill, MA ~ Journey to Battle Rare Disease
At Angel Flight NE, we are committed to ensuring that rare disease patients can access the life-saving medical care they need—no matter how far they must travel. Today, we are honored to share the inspiring story of Kim from Haverhill, MA.
Bridging the Gap Between Distance and Medical Care
Little did Kim know when she was running one of the most challenging Boston Marathons in 2018 that her health would drastically change only 2 weeks later. She started becoming extremely ill with alarming symptoms. She was admitted to the hospital multiple times, including over 60 times to the ER and stayed twice in the ICU. Doctors simply could not figure out what was wrong. While Boston is the hub for so many renowned medical facilities that treat severe health issues, medical teams simply could not figure out what Kim was battling and why her symptoms were progressing. Medical teams tried tackling Kim’s illness by performing several surgeries including the insertion of a feeding tube and PICC and PEG line with the hopes to control her symptoms. Her condition continued to deteriorate with her completely losing her ability to eat and drink anything except water.
She was finally was diagnosed with Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (SMAS), or Wilkie’s syndrome (only an estimated 0.013% of the world population have this rare disorder, with limited skilled surgeons who can perform the surgical procedure required for this rare condition). After much research, Kim and David were able to find a renowned specialty surgeon who was was visiting Virginia Tech for a 2 week stay and agreed to perform the surgery so Kim could begin her journey of healing.
With the understanding that Kim needed to travel to Blacksburg, VA for this surgical procedure that was only available in a tight window, Kim’s husband David researched air ambulance services given Kim could not travel via commercial airlines and came across Angel Flight NE’s vital mission of providing FREE air transportation services. And the best part was that Angel Flight NE’s headquarters is based at the Lawrence Municipal Airport in North Andover, MA – only 15 minutes from Kim and David’s home in Haverhill, MA. David called Angel Flight NE’s mission /flight coordination team in early February 2025 with the hope to transport Kim on February 13th. Given the timeline to transport Kim was tight, our mission/flight coordination team immediately jumped on coordinating Kim’s journey! Time was of the essence!
Within one day of posting the mission, AFNE Volunteer Pilot Andy W. sign up for the mission and as soon as the return flight dates were established, AFNE Volunteer Pilot Rob V. and pilot assistant Thomas C. (in photo to the right) signed up. These volunteer pilots are truly amazing and a blessing!
David shared the following with our Angel Flight NE team:
“The entire crew at Angel Flight NE was a true blessing. We were fighting weather windows between snow storms, and between Angel Flight NE and the gracious pilots, we were able to fly down direct, with all the ancillary support items needed for a planned 2-week stay. (Items needed for support care to/from/during our stay, which most likely if carried – on would have been damaged, or if checked – broken. Items needed that are irreplaceable when traveling like pumps, formulae, etc). The teams brought us to/from private/executive airfield directly next to the hospital in Virginia, 5 minutes from the hospital (closest commercial airport was 45 minutes), and we were able to have a flexible return time (it was somewhat milestone based on how the Surgical team and Kim felt about recovery status and travel to put a date on a return) and have a date and time that had us minimize travel and land us near our home in North Andover, MA at Lawrence Municipal Airport (LWM). Total time was just over 2 hours (not 10)! The pilots were able to determine the most advantageous flight path and altitude to ensure a smooth ride for Kim’s comfort, and followed up with the gentlest touchdown probably in history.
Suffice to say if we were to have had to fly commercial on the way home, our landing would have been direct from Logan to Mass General. Instead, we were expertly and comfortably directly transported and Kim was able to almost immediately begin recovery in her own bed at home, with minimal disruption.
We cannot thank and/or say enough about the entire team and experience: Thank you Angel Flight for the caring, passionate, seamless, caring, and meticulous planning, thank you to both sets of pilots for a safe, comfortable transport to/from non-major city hospital care and logging and adjusting flight plans “on the fly” to ensure minimal discomfort (altitude, wind speed, weather). I cannot see commercial airlines being so accommodating on any level. It has been an amazing blessing to have been involved and seeing my Bride so well taken care of. We were bubble wrapped on both flights. Personally, I cannot way to help support you now knowing the care, effort, and impact you make!”
Flights of Hope & Healing – Thanks to Our Supporters
Angel Flight NE’s mission is able to provide vital services to patients like Kim who desperately need to access specialized medical care and treatment.
Our mission is made possible with the help of supporters such as M&T Bank and the Alexion Charitable Foundation.
Join Us in Helping More Patients Like Kim
As we continue to support rare disease patients, we invite you to be part of our mission. Whether you donate, volunteer, or spread the word, you can make a difference for the patients facing unimaginable medical obstacles.
Because of your generosity, we can continue providing flights of hope and healing to patients across the country. Every donation, every volunteer pilot, and every partnership helps bridge the gap between medical challenges and life-saving treatment.
💙 Together, we are ensuring that distance is never a barrier to care.