Dubbo’s Jo O’Brien can’t thank charity transportation service Angel Flight enough for helping her family.
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Jo and her son Daniel 17, have been using Angel Flight for the past 8 years.
Angel Flight was established in 2003 and coordinates non-emergency flights to assist country people to access specialist medical treatment that would otherwise be unavailable to them because of vast distance and high travel costs.
All flights are free and assist passengers travelling to or from medical facilities almost anywhere in Australia.
Daniel has autism, a rare genetic condition and epilepsy and has had to travel to Westmead Hospital in Sydney for various appointments and surgeries.
In the many years since using Angel Flight, Jo and Daniel have made some wonderful friends with the pilots.
Jo said Daniel likes going on the flight because he gets to know the pilots and even knows some on a first name basis.
“They go out of their way to help,” she said.
“It helps having the friendly faces at Angel Flight.”
Travelling in Sydney was often difficult for the family, as Daniel gets motion sickness and even had seizures while on public transport.
But as well as the pilots, Angel Flight offers families volunteer drivers who take people to and from the airport to the Hospital and back.
“They meet you at the airport, take you to the Hospital and pick you up,” Jo said.
“I swear by Angel Flight. They’ve been amazing.”
Jo said many people were unaware of Angel Flight and wanted to help get the word out. “People don’t know about the service… or they think they’re ineligible,” she said.
Angel Flight can assist anyone who is medically and financially disadvantaged, families who have been financially devastated by medical bills due to illness, accidents or other chronic conditions and those in need of transport on compassionate grounds. It can also assist on multiple occasions for attending follow-up appointments or undertaking a series of treatments for a medical condition.
Visit www.angelflight.org.au for more.
Registered health professionals make the referrals on behalf of the patients and the health professional can register with Angel Flight quickly and easily online.
It generally takes 5-7 working days for an Angel Flight coordinator to organise a flight.
Or call Angel Flight on 1300 726 567.