East Farmingdale-based volunteer pilot group flies those in need of medical treatment miles away

The first time Jennifer Farrell and her 12-year-old son, Killian met pilot Brook Haberman was when they boarded his red and tan striped Piper plane in Rhode Island on Monday around 8 a.m. They headed to Republic Airport in East Farmingdale and from there, a drive to a clinical trial in Brooklyn.

The boy, of Maine, and his mother, weren’t strangers to the experience. Killian was born with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that has a "host of complications," said Farrell, such as hyperphagia, developmental issues, and behavioral issues. He has taken such flights about 24 times since he was three-months old for treatment and to participate in medical studies and clinical trials.

Killian has traveled across the East coast with PALS SkyHope, an East Farmingdale-based nonprofit organization that connects children, adults, and veterans who need to travel for medical treatment with volunteer pilots.

"There's so many people that don't have access to great medical care," said Donna Collins, executive director of PALS SkyHope. "The medical care is far from home, and they need to travel by plane. So volunteer pilots take those patients to get to the best care they can with the best possible outcome."

Pilots use their own planes and gas and have traveled as far west as the Mississippi River, as far north as northern Maine and as far south as Florida.

At least 1,000 pilots are in the database, and about 250 pilots actively fly with the organization, traveling every day of the year — including holidays and weekends — to get patients to their destination.

"The real heroes are the patients," said Haberman, of New Hampshire , who has piloted at least 54 flights with PALS SkyHope. "You can just think of us as just cogs in the wheel to try to make it happen."

Since its creation in 2010, about 32,000 flights have been made possible with PALS SkyHope. Patients and their families never pay for flights and are also compensated for their ground transportation.

"We just alleviate that burden of getting to the care and making that easy part of the whole experience," she said. "When the patient forgets about their illness, that makes it special."

Collins said that there are many reasons why a private plane is a better mode of transportation for a patient than a commercial airline. For example, an immunocompromised patient is less likely to contract an illness on a private plane.

The average patient has flown about 10 times with PALS SkyHope.

Volunteer pilots also strive to make their flights personal. Farrell said that a pilot will call her the day before to learn about Killian and how to make him comfortable, or what music he would like to hear on the trip.

Before they landed in Republic Airport to attend a clinical trial at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, Haberman took the mother and son for a 10-minute scenic detour of the Montauk Lighthouse and Block Island.

"They never rush us, even if we're going to be late for an appointment or we have problems getting on the plane," said Farrell. "Everyone lets you take your time, and you can really feel that it's heartfelt, that they're going to give their all to make sure everything is comfortable for you.

"People don't know about how difficult it can be to travel with a child that has any kind of issue or disease or needs treatment, and overall," said Farrell. "We've flown down with other people, even adults who are seeking cancer treatments and just aren't able to fly on a regular airline."

She found out about PALS SkyHope from word-of-mouth when Killian was about 3 months old. 

"It's just made it manageable for our family," Farrell said, and for Killian, "It's just opened up a whole world of possibilities."