LAKEVILLE, Minn. (WCCO) – An 8-month-old in Minnesota who has faced serious health challenges was recently flown to a hospital by volunteer pilots.
Mackenzie Richardson said her baby son Chase has overcome a number of obstacles already.
“He was on oxygen, he was intubated for a while,” she said.
Richardson said Chase was born prematurely alongside his twin brother Cameron.
Unlike his brother, however, Chase was diagnosed with a heart condition that required surgery.
“So, it essentially meant his pulmonary and aorta were switched backwards,” Richardson said.
After seeing a number of doctors in the Twin Cities, Richardson and her husband searched for a second opinion.
“He said I am 99.9% confident I can do the arterial switch procedure, and it can be one and done,” Richardson said.
The young couple found a pediatric heart surgeon at Boston Children’s Hospital who was confident he could give Chase the specialized care he needed.
The next piece of the puzzle was to find transportation.
To help with that, a Midwest nonprofit called LifeLine provided pilots to make the flight free of charge.
“This is a way to get some flying in and feel good about it at the end of the day,” pilot Ken Reily said.
The pilots with the nonprofit spend their time flying patients to non-emergency medical care.
“They otherwise wouldn’t drive for this care, or maybe it’s too expensive to travel and we can get them there,” Reily said.
After spending 15 years with the organization, Reily said the people keep him coming back. He said he has made at least 50 flights, but that the number may be closer to 100.
“Just the passengers, they are so thankful,” he said.
After spending a month and a half in Boston, Chase is back at home in Lakeville, Minnesota.
His mom and dad are proud of his recovery and encourage other families to advocate for themselves.
“It’s night and day,” Evan Richardson, Chase’s father, said. “After this, it’s like why would you not get a second opinion?”
Now, the family hopes other people take advantage of the nonprofit and community support that made their journey a little bit smoother.