For more than a decade, Vancouver Island patients have been spirited to and from hospital on the wings of angels.
Their mode of transport is Angel Flight of B.C., a program that brings together volunteer pilots and people battling cancer and other conditions. The flights are free, with pilots either using their own planes or paying for a rental.
“We cover their fuel costs and minor incidentals,” said Angel Flight co-founder and president Jeff Morris, who at 70 devotes much of his time to the cause.
He devised the concept for Angel Flight with Chuck Lovallo, whose son needed to travel frequently to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver for leukemia treatment. Morris is now the major force behind the program.
The first flight was made in April 2002 from Victoria International Airport, he said. “We did 26 flights the first year, 54 the second and then it kind of stabilized at 120 a year.”
In all, there have been 1,262 flights. Morris has a photo book showing many of the passengers, and can tell you about each of them.
Travelling with Angel Flight makes a tough situation easier for patients like three-year-old Coen Wallace, his parents, Tanis and Chris, and big brother, Leighton.
Doctors knew before birth that Coen had a serious kidney problem. Angel Flight stepped in when he needed to travel to B.C. Children’s Hospital from Greater Victoria for specialized dialysis treatment four days a week.
He has since had a transplant, receiving an adult-sized kidney from a close friend of the family.
“He had to start dialysis as soon as he was born,” Tanis Wallace said.
Wallace said being able to fly to and from Vancouver was a godsend. “It was huge having this, it cut off so many hours.”
She said Coen is thriving after his transplant. Giving Coen the experience of flight was a bonus, she said. “He loved it.”
The enjoyment of flying in a small plane can help people forget their health situation, Morris said.
“They don’t have to think about it, and they get the buzz out of a flight,” he said. “You take a cancer patient, and for that hour in an airplane … they’re not a cancer patient. They’re somebody enjoying a ride.”
Morris has 26 pilots working with Angel Flight. Their duties include flying people from Victoria to Vancouver, as well as from up-Island communities to the capital region.
Volunteer pilot Ted Krasowski said Angel Flight gives him a chance to fly while making a difference in the community.
“A lot of people, when they fly, they don’t really know where to go. This gives us a chance to go and do something to help people out a little bit.”
Morris enjoyed a long career in aviation, serving with Britain’s Royal Air Force for 15 years and flying out of Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific for 22 more.
After retiring to Victoria, he decided he needed an outlet. Angel Flight has become a fulfilling way to use his expertise and passion.
He said there is a steady stream of people to be helped, a number of them connecting to Angel Flight through facilities such as Victoria’s cancer lodge or the frequent presentations he makes to raise money and awareness.
His efforts were recognized in 2009 with a Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award. That same year, he was named honorary colonel of 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron.
Angel Flight is a non-profit group approved by both Transport Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency.
For more information, email [email protected], go to angelflight.ca, or call 250-818-0288.
