Undergoing regular medical treatment in Sydney is pretty daunting for a young child however if you get to fly there in a Little Wings plane, then that can make the experi-ence a whole lot better.
Three year old Hudson Simon has been a regular visitor to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead since he was six months old.
Born with a Port Wine Stain on his face, Hudson has been having regular vascular laser treatment to help lighten the blood vessels of the skin.
He’s also at risk of developing Glaucoma in one eye (due to the Port Wine Stain), and so he also needs to have regular eye check ups with The Children’s Hospital at Westmead’s Eye Clinic.
Hudson and his parents, Rachel and Ben, made the first eight trips for Hudson’s treat-ment to Sydney via car, before they found out about Little Wings from another Cobar family who uses the service.
“Having this service has been amazing, and has helped so much with having to take less time off work etc for travel time,” Rachel said.
“We are literally in Sydney so quickly, and to be discharged from hospital and be back in our home in a matter of a few hours is crazy.
“Especially since having our second child, having to travel back and forth every three months on a nine hour car trip with two chil-dren is a lot.
“So flying down with Little Wings has taken so much pressure off us—and financially as well,” she said.
Rachel said Hudson enjoys the flights, and Hudson loves seeing all the big planes at the airport when they land in Sydney.
Based at Bankstown Aerodrome, the Little Wings service provides free flights for children and their families to access medical treatment that is only available in major cities.
Little Wings CEO Clare Pearson said Little Wings is passionate about health and closing the gap in regional health care.
She said the aim of the service is to ensure seriously ill children have access to the medi-cal services they need and deserve to ensure a happy and healthy life, but also the resources to ensure they reach their full potential.
“Little Wings is an 89 per cent volunteer run organization, including every pilot and every driver, ensuring every service is delivered with heart and compassion,” Ms Pearson said.
“The Little Wings service receives zero government funding and is reliant on the support of regional communities to help keep us in the air,” she said.
“Little Wings is 100 per cent committed to supporting children across regional and rural NSW.
Rachel and Ben are full of praise for the ser-vice.
“We really couldn’t recommend this service enough to those in areas like ours. We only wish we had have known about this earlier.
“The service is amazing, the planes are very comfortable and the volunteers are so friendly.
“From the pilots, the vehicle transport drivers and even the flight co-ordinator.
“When we arrived at Bankstown airport the first time, the welcome from the team there was so lovely,” Rachel said.
“They really do make you feel so welcome and accommodate you in anyway they can.
“It really takes so much pressure off families needing to be away and travel with sick chil-dren.
“We look forward to contining using this service in the future.”
Rachel said it’s unsure how many more sur-geries Hudson will have to undergo. Basically we just keep going until his doctor says that she feels the treatment has stopped working.
“However, he will need to have his eyes checked every six months for the rest of his life unless there is any deterioration with the eye then it could become more often,” Rachel said
