Nonprofit Provided 8,226 Flights For Critically Ill Patients This Fiscal Year

Miracle Flights performed a record number of flights for its fiscal year ending April 30, 2017. The Las Vegas-based nonprofit provides free commercial air transportation to children and adults with rare and life-threatening medical conditions who require specialized, out-of-state medical care.

Miracle Flights coordinated a record-setting 8,226 flights in fiscal year 2016-17, a 4.5 percent increase from last year's previous record of 7,868 flights. April also set a new monthly record for the 32-year-old organization with a total number of 1,484 flights completed, over 1,243 flights last April.

According to Miracle Flights CEO Mark E. Brown, the organization has seen a steady increase in the number of flights it performs year after year. Since the organization's inception in 1985, Miracle Flights has coordinated 108,242 flights and a flown a total of 60,690,000 miles.

"The continued demand for free medical air transportation speaks to the value of the service Miracle Flights provides," said Brown. "We have tremendous pride in being Las Vegas' only homegrown national charity while at the same time giving hope to sick children and their families throughout the country."

Arthogryposis, a rare joint condition, was the most common medical reason for which flights were requested last year, followed by clubfoot and various cancers. Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital and Cancer Treatment Centers of America locations across the country topped the list of most frequent destinations. According to Brown, a majority of Miracle Flights patients are "repeat flyers," who must fly multiple times to receive ongoing medical treatment.

"There's one little girl in California, Maya, whom we have flown 21 times to New York to receive treatment for stage IV neuroblastoma cancer," said Brown. "The financial implications of that many cross-country flights are staggering, but that's where Miracle Flights comes in. We alleviate the financial burden of travel for families like Maya's so they can focus on treatment and recovery."

This year, Miracle Flights also sought to expand its service by aligning with strategic partners Make-A-Wish of Southern Nevada and World Pediatric Project, providing free air travel for WPP teams flying to the eastern Caribbean and Central America to provide diagnostic and surgical care for children in underserved communities.

(Source: Miracle Flights news release. Image from file)

FMI: miracleflights.org