Leah -
11 Years Old

Leah is Wings for Children's first mission. Struggling to recover from a liver transplant, Leah wasn't doing well. In fact, her future looked very bleak. She wasn't progressing like doctors had hoped. On top of that, this fragile little girl hadn't seen her eleven brothers and sisters in twelve weeks. She saw her parents only on an alternating basis.

This family's social worker called Wings for Children to explain Leah's situation, emphasizing the point Leah probably wasn't going to make it. She wanted to know if Wings for Children would fly three of Leah's siblings and her mother from their home in New Jersey to Pittsburgh. The request wasn't exactly in the perimeters of Wings for Children, Inc. mission but we couldn't say no to this.

Days later, Leah saw her mother and three siblings. Slowly, Leah's health began to improve. She did so well in fact, that two and a half weeks after the mission was made, Leah returned to New Jersey. The social worker seems to believe Leah's turn around was directly linked to seeing her family. We like to think that, too!
Joshua -
Two Years Old


Doing what it takes. That's what Josh's family's commitment to him is. This two-year old boy was battling liver cancer long before he could even ride a bike. His doctors in Pittsburgh were a long way from his South Bend, Indiana home. Still his father faithfully made the nine hour drive every week, taking days off work while his mother worked at home raising Josh, his little sister and keeping up the house. When Josh came to Pittsburgh he would stay a couple of days. His father had to take off work, losing time on the two-day trip.

After a while, Josh's mom called Wings for Children. Arrangements were made to fly to South Bend, pick up Josh, his mom and little sister and fly them to Pittsburgh during the week. Then on Saturday, Josh's dad would leave his job and drive to Pittsburgh to pick up the family and take them home. This way, Josh received his treatment and his dad didn't lose days off at work.

We now receive school pictures and notes from Josh's mom. We're happy to report he is now in remission and a healthy boy.
Kara -
Twelve Years Old

When you think of a patient having heart problems, the image of a bright young 12-year-old is not the first to come to mind. This young girl from Ohio lives with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, which requires her to have a heart pump and catheter.

In September Kara needed to see her doctor in New York City, but her mother and father were out of work at the same time. Wings for Children received a call from Kara's mother asking for help. On September 16th, Kara and her mother along with two Wings for Children pilots made the trip from Ohio to New York City where Kara received the medical care she needed. And dayís later, a part time job opened for Kara's mom