Each patient and family has a heartfelt story that touches the lives of our staff. We share a few of these stories with you.

"Our mission is 'compassion' and providing meaningful, tangible help to families in crisis. The kindness and appreciation shown by those we help is amazing. We form new relationships with patients, families, and healthcare workers everyday."

- Jim Smith, ACAM Coordinator

Our Family Story From 01/19/06

At Piedmont regional airport, the waiting room was full, the ground ambulance was on the tarmac, and all eyes were on the runway. Dewey was coming home! The 84-year-old father and grandfather from Key West, Fla., was due to land at 5:30 p.m. Air Compassion America arranged the flight to Norfolk where the partially paralyzed man would be staying with his daughter Pat until a bed at Norfolk General hospital in Virginia could be found.

Dewey, a Navy veteran, was in Key West closing out his affairs during the process of moving from Florida to Norfolk when he developed intense shoulder pain. He sought help at a local hospital and was admitted, then suddenly developed a fever and a blood infection. “By the time we got there,” said another daughter, Diane, “he was wearing a diaper, was incoherent and on a ventilator. Something had gone wrong.”

Air Compassion worked for weeks to find an economical air ambulance and coordinate the flight in light of an endless round of delays. Finally, on July 8, a Cessna 340 air ambulance landed at the airport and Dewey was safely transported by bed board and stretcher to the waiting ground ambulance and his loving children and grandchildren.

January 2006 Stories

01/04/06 - Elderly Hurricane Victim Given Charitable Air Ambulance Flight

December 2005 Stories

12/02/05 - ACAM Flies Parkinson's Patient and Wife from New Orleans Hospital