In a fusion of altruism and aviation, Angel Flight West has been making the skies a little friendlier for people like Margo Hatch, a breast cancer patient from El Paso, Texas, who found solace above the clouds. Hatch, a mother of four young children, has been having to desperately fly to Phoenix for treatment at the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. According to a FOX 10 Phoenix report, the service of Angel Flight West has been integral to Hatch's journey, with volunteer pilots like Kerry MacPherson and Adam Robb generously donating their time, planes, and fuel to ensure patients can receive the care they need without additional stressors.
To efficiently become a commercial pilot, Adam Robb took to volunteering his flights, preferring to "spend the time with amazing people learning their stories, giving back to the community and doing something more meaningful with it," he told FOX 10 Phoenix. The organization has been a lifeline not just for Hatch, but for hundreds who like her, struggle to travel for treatment. An Angel Flight West article reveals that her application was swiftly approved, and since then, she has been flown 15 times by different pilots. Volunteer Kerry Riley has even developed a personal connection with Hatch, flying her on seven occasions and going as far as to offer financial assistance for commercial flights.
The assistance from Angel Flight West extends beyond mere transport. It embodies empathy and support in physical form, reducing exhausting six-hour car rides to mere flight hours for Hatch. "They're just so giving, and it just makes that part of treatment and that part of your journey so much easier," Hatch expressed to FOX 10 Phoenix. Such acts of kindness demonstrate the profound impact volunteerism can have on the lives of people facing dire health challenges.
With the costs of travel adding substantially to their burdens, patients like Hatch can at least find solace knowing that Angel Flight West volunteers are there to alleviate this aspect of their struggle. "It makes you feel better," "It makes you feel like there’s still good in the world," and "It gives you that extra bit of light and hope," Hatch reflected in an Angel Flight West story.
