What's Happening Wings For Michigan

Airport Check-In

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 14:49:02 GMT

Print Out This Flyer and Post It At The Airports You Visit!

Click on the image above to download the PDF and print copies on 8.5x11 paper. Take the sheets with you to all the airports you visit and post them on a bulletin board to show you've been there!

Then take a photo at the airport and upload the photo here:

Connor Schaible

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 13:42:32 GMT

Providing Access To Groundbreaking Therapy

As the state began to shut down in March of 2020, Connor Schaible, 5, started his own fight agains disease - Burkitt's Lymphoma. Burkitt's is a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in which cancer starts in immune cells called B-cells. As rare and fast-growing cancer, the family was taken by surprise at this unexpected diagnosis and immediately launched into a powerful battle, earning Connor his new nickname, Little Warrior.

Full of smiles, laughter and strength, Connor tackled the cancer with force putting himself into remission over the summer. Life began to move to some form of normalcy as Connor became a big brother in June and started kindergarten in August. But the cancer had other plans and grew back into the family's life in October. In a more aggressive form and even more rare occurrence, rapid decisions had to be made to take out-of-the-box approaches to beat this cancer again.

CAR-T therapy, a newer approach to fighting cancer by leveraging the body's own immune system, is the new path for Connor. Because his cancer is so rare and the therapy still in development, Connor needed to be treated by the experts and founders of the treatment, at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). This meant Connor and his parents needed to get to CHOP quickly to initiate the process of removing his CAR-T cells.

Wings of Mercy became an answered prayer and a sign that the Little Warrior was moving toward the best decision to win his battle with cancer. Lots of coordination happened at a fast pace to fly Connor and his parents to Philadelphia to meet the doctors that would navigate the therapy. There was comfort in this big journey when Connor's mom was surprised to discover familiar faces in the pilots who happened to be fellow co-workers. The experience became that much more special and meaningful as Connor was treated like a VIP during their trip to CHOP.

Looking ahead, Connor is scheduled to receive his therapy while kicking off the new year. The family and Connor's village continue to pray this new therapy is the solution, leading Connor to his ultimate victory in defeating cancer.

"We couldn't be more grateful the care, support and services we received from Wings of Mercy, the pilots and the many people in the background who helped make our trip to CHOP and the start of our CAR-T therapy possible. Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts!" - The Schaible Family

Emily Dryer

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 10:51:10 GMT

The perfect name for a life-saving organization.

Often when we travel on Wings of Mercy flights, I am in rough shape - either in need of surgery or recovering from it. Each time we get the call from Wings that there is a pilot and a flight to help us get to our destination, it is a weight off our shoulders. The entire Wings of Mercy experience is a humbling thing, and these flights are the times I am always overwhelmed with gratitude and awe for the organization that Wings is, and of the magnitude of what these people do for patient's like me. Wings of Mercy could not have picked a better name, for what their board of directors, office staff and pilots provide is truly all a gift of mercy in a hurting world.

Camille Frede

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 10:51:10 GMT

Camille was only four years old when she was diagnosed with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension; a type of high blood pressure that affects arteries in the lungs and heart. At that time, she was given 1-3 years to live, a prediction Camille has been defying for 24 years.

Since 2011, Wings of Mercy pilots have been helping Camille have access to a team of doctors in Boston who have dramatically increased her quality of life, allowing her to earn her bachelor's degree in Science and Nursing from Calvin College. However, the disease has taken it's toll and in October of 2017, Camille made the tough decision to leave her home in Grand Rapids and move to Boston to be listed at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) for a heart/lung transplant. After 48 days in the hospital, Camille was offered a blog of heart and lungs on March 25th (Palm Sunday), doctors preformed the first heart/lung transplant operation at BWH in 22 years. The operation was successful, and Camille is now on the long and difficult road to recovery. The daily struggles and unavoidable setbacks cannot obscure her dream of becoming a Nurse Practitioner.

Camille's story is nothing short of miraculous. But miracles are not limited to the skill of a surgeon's hands or the death-defying feats of modern medicine. God takes the individual sacrifices made every day by ordinary people who are willing to act in faith on behalf of others and weaves them into something miraculous. So, whether it was something pleasant like a pilot unexpectedly having a free afternoon to fly Camille for a treatment or agonizing like a grieving family donating the heart and lungs of a loved one to a stranger, God covers it all in His unfailing love and makes it miraculous.