Yuma, Arizona (KECY, KYMA) – Yuma Regional Medical Center and Angel Flight West are bringing healing and hope to Yuma patients as they expand their volunteer medical transport organization to Yuma County.
On Tuesday morning, a local family traveled to Phoenix for their son AJ’s weekly medical appointment.
AJ is flying into Phoenix this week.
Due to complications at birth, the Liggett son, AJ, needs an important regular medical appointment in Phoenix.
Traveling is difficult and time-consuming for the Liggett family, who have an eight-year-old daughter and a local electricity business.
Travel time for AJ, his mother, and father is reduced to about an hour each way, compared to the usual six hours round trip.
AJ, who uses a ventilator to help him breathe, will experience a more comfortable life.
Mother Alexis will have more time and energy to give her two children more time and energy in the evenings, as travel will be less of a hassle.
And the best part is that family trips are free of charge.
This is made possible by Angel Flight West, a nonprofit that connects volunteer pilots with patients and flies flights to medical appointments free of charge to passengers.
Angel Flight West and the YRMC Chronic Health Needs Pediatric Patients Committee worked together to identify the Liggett family as one of the first recipients of a Yuma-based flight this year.
Their hope is to raise awareness so that more local families traveling for medical care can take advantage of Angel Flight West’s services.
The YRMC Pediatric Patients with Chronic Health Needs Committee was established two years ago.
The commission’s goal is to identify ways to improve medical care and processes and reduce the burden on young chronically ill patients in the region.
For more information on Angel Flight West or to request a flight, please visit: www.angelflightwest.org/need-a-flight/. In addition to connecting with potential patients, Angel Flight West hopes to connect with pilots in the Yuma area who would like to donate their flight time and money to help patients in need.
For more information, please visit: www.angelflightwest.org/pilot-page/.
