My Nonprofit Reviews

March of 2015 took a turn of events that impacted our life when during a routine eye exam revealed that my 21 year old daughter Celeste was about to embark on an unwelcome journey. Her eye doctor noticed that both of her optic nerves were swollen. She would later learn after a few MRI scans and a biopsy, that she was now diagnosed with cancer. A stage III-IV aggressive brain tumor called an Anaplastic Astrocytoma Glioma. In January 2016, Celeste was able to have a successful craniotomy performed at Duke University. Her yearly follow-up appointment was in December 2016. Due to the nature of her diagnosis and the damage the tumor has done, this can make traveling for her a very taxing feat. We live in N.W. Georgia, which is a 10 plus hour drive one way to Duke in Durham, N.C. The idea of her traveling for that many hours created a lot of anxiety, and with her symptoms of what is considered an active brain injury, can cause her to have a lot of unwanted side effects when undue stress enters her daily routine. That is when I sought out Angel Flight Soars. I needed to find a much quicker and less stressful way to get her to this important follow-up appointment. After filling out the online form and got approved, I began corresponding with a mission operation assistant, Ciara Schaff. She was very pleasant and quick to respond to any questions or concerns I had. She also helped us unexpectedly by arranging an Earth Angel Ed Spencer to assist us once we landed. This helped lessen the burden tremendously for me trying to figure out how to get from point A to B in an unfamiliar area. Between her and others working together, Ciara was able to arrange Celeste’s travels to and from Dalton Municipal Airport to Raleigh-Durham Airport. The Pilots were amazing! It turned what would have been a 20 plus hour round trip drive, into a 6 hour round trip flight. That helped us physically, emotionally and financially. Both pilots, Doug Ellis and Paul Davis made us feel accepted, safe and comfortable. We could tell that safety was their priority, and they loved doing what they do. They welcomed us into their plane and by listening to their flight decisions over the headsets further displayed safety was of the utmost. Celeste and I, along with others can not thank Angel Flight Soars enough for the generous accommodations and compassion offered to those who are in need of assistance. Angel Flight Soars gave us peace and hope, during a time that would have otherwise been challenging and possibly detrimental to the progress of Celeste’s continued recovery. This is not only important to the patient involved, it is also important to those who love them. Thank YOU ALL at Angel Flight Soars and thank you to those who contribute towards making this all possible!! The benefits of having an organization such as Angel Flight Soars is an asset to our country and to those they love to serve. This was truly an answer to prayer. Once again, Thank you!