Meet Cooper, a twelve-year-old young man from Maine, who recently traveled with his mother Lori on an Angel Flight NE mission. This trip to Boston allows Cooper to access life-changing care for numerous rare diseases, including Polymicrogyria, Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. Since October of 2016, our Mission/Flight Coordinators have assisted Cooper and his family with travel to Boston Children’s Hospital with 56 Angel Flights.

For every trip, the Angel Flight NE team remains there to ensure that our patients, like Cooper, experience peace of mind during their healthcare journeys. During his most recent Angel Flight, our volunteer pilot Jim received a special request from Cooper, “Could you fly over my school so my classmates can wave to me?”. Jim was more than happy to help put a smile on Cooper’s face.

His mother, Lori, shared the following recently: 
“Cooper was born with complex medical conditions, including polymicrogyria, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, cataracts, a rare genetic disorder, and is intellectually disabled… necessitating approximately seven trips a year to BCH from mid-coast Maine. Over the past seven years, Angel Flight NE has flown Cooper and me to BCH, while also arranging ground transportation.

The kindness and support of the Angel Flight NE pilots and ground crew in getting Cooper to his appointments alleviated a layer of stress, allowing us to focus on Cooper’s medical care. The pilots who fly Cooper make him laugh, they get us home safely, and make life easier for us. When people hear about Cooper flying with Angel Flight NE, they often think there is a catch, or question how it’s possible. The answer is always the same: there is no catch, just kind people doing kind things.”

Through the generosity of The Alexion Charitable Foundation along with our AFNE Volunteer Pilots and Earth Angels, the accomplishment of Cooper’s flight of healing and hope allowed him to access the medical care he needs.