Youngster Had A Stroke At Birth

Two-year-old William Glisson suffered a stroke while he was being born, according to Greenville, SC lawyer Matt Kappell, who volunteers to pilot Angel Flight missions. "William's stroke caused a variety of complications that have impaired his ability to speak and walk", Kappel said.  "Now his feet are developing improperly and the Shriner's Hospital in Greenville, SC  is evaluating him for surgery," Kappel added.

Pilot Matt Kappell And The Glisson Family

But William and his parents, Travis and Shannon Glisson, live in Greenville, North Carolina, which is about 80 miles east of Raleigh. The round trip by car for the Glissons would be about 14 hours. "William's mom told us that William has a very hard time riding in cars and when they took a trip last Thanksgiving, he cried the whole time,"  stated Bo Bowman, Branch Director for Angel Flight's South Carolina office located in Greenwood. "Shannon said that he was much calmer in the plane and the flight took less than two hours," Bowman added.

William arrived at Greenville Jet Center, which is located at the Greenville Downtown Airport, a little after 11 am Monday.  "He had an appointment at Shriner's at noon. Greenville Jet Center volunteered his ground transportation. When he was finished I flew him home", stated Bowman, who is also a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight Soars.

"William is the first Angel Flight patient, coordinated by the local South Carolina office, to be taken to the Shiner's Hospital in Greenville," according to Bernadette Darnell with the Angel Flight Soars Headquarters office in Atlanta.

"My mother who lives in Atlanta would always send me news clippings from the Atlanta newspaper. On a couple of occasions, my mother sent me articles about Angel Flight and Mac Secord who lived across the street from me when I was growing up. As a cancer survivor I was intrigued with the idea of volunteering for Angel Flight and three years ago, I started volunteering to fly for them," added Kappel. "I try to fly 3 or 4 times a year for Angel Flight," Kappel stated. 

FMI: www.angelflightsoars.org