Air Charity Network (ACN)
Contact: 877-621-7177Population served: Patients of all ages and their caregivers
Other language(s): SpanishMission:
Air Charity Network™ (ACN) provides access for people in the United States who are in need of free air transportation to specialized health care facilities or distant destinations due to family, community or national crisis.
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF)
Contact: 610-649-3034 or 866-333-1213Population served: Children with cancer and their families, caregivers, young adults, healthcare professionals and researchers related to childhood cancer
Mission:
To change the lives of children with cancer through funding impactful research, raising awareness, supporting families, and empowering everyone to help cure childhood cancer.
- Travel For Care Program offers financial assistance to eligible families for travel for childhood cancer treatment at medical institutions in the U.S. and Canada. Patient must be diagnosed by age 18 and be under 21 and in active oncology treatment following a relapse, or enrolling in or currently participating in a clinical trial for active oncology treatment or a treatment innovation not available at their local institution. Applications must be submitted by a social worker or medical representative.
- Childhood Cancer Treatment Journal is a free treatment organizer for families of childhood cancer to help parents keep track of important treatment information.
- Ambassadors Program involves family members and friends of a childhood cancer hero who choose to get more involved with ALSF.
- My Childhood Cancer: Survey Series aims to better understand how childhood cancer affects families.
- SuperSibs Programs aim to comfort, encourage and empower siblings during their family’s battle against childhood cancer.
- Offers a free guide for education professionals to help patients, their siblings, and classmates cope with a diagnosis or death in their school community.
Angel Flight East
Contact: 215-358-1900Population served: Needy children and adults with medical conditions, primarily in the Northeastern United States.
Mission:
To provide free, non-emergency air transportation to qualified patients and their families by arranging flights to distant medical facilities, delivering supplies to disaster areas, and reuniting families during desperate times.
- Passengers must be ambulatory, medically stable, and meet other criteria; call or check website for details.
Angel Flight West
Contact: 888-426-2643 or 310-390-2958Population served: Financially needy children and adults with medical conditions in 13 Western states
Other language(s): SpanishMission:
To provide free, non-emergency air travel for children and adults with serious medical conditions and other compelling needs.
- Professionals may request assistance on behalf of a patient needing to travel in California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming
- Call or check website for specific eligibility criteria.
Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation
Contact: 800-747-2820 or help@aamds.orgPopulation served: Patients and families living with Aplastic Anemia, Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH), and related bone marrow failure diseases
Mission:
To support, connect and educate patients, caregivers and health professionals on bone marrow failure diseases worldwide
- Free educational materials: Information on research, treatment, and clinical trials
- Online Academy: Live webinars, webcasts, interviews with experts, and interactive learning modules
- Peer Support Network: Patients and caregivers can speak with trained patient volunteers who share treatment experiences and provide emotional support
- Community Connections: Volunteer-led regional support groups connecting patient and families
- Online Community: MarrowCommunity.org is an online community for patients with bone marrow failure and their families. Members can connect with others, share resources, learn about upcoming events and have their questions answered.
- Educational Conferences: Our free conferences in cities around the country offer learning opportunities from leading medical experts, and the ability to connect directly with other patients and caregivers
- Travel Assistance: To ensure that patients can see a specialist to seek the best course of treatment. Financial aid may be available for U.S.-based patients with demonstrated financial need
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Find A Specialist: online search tool.
Cassie Hines Shoes Cancer Foundation for Young Adults
Contact: WebsitePopulation served: Adolescent and young adult cancer patients and survivors
Mission:
To guide young adults with cancer to social support programs and services that can help them manage their mental healing as well as their physical battle.
- Survivorship program in Northern Michigan consists of 6 days of adventure-based learning at no cost
- Travel Assistance for young adults to attend an approved survivorship program in the US
- Annual Base2Summit Scholarship for a Michigan resident who is accepted to an accredited school of higher learning; see website for details
- Lists a variety of survivorship resources related to support, finances, legal, etc.
Compass To Care Childhood Cancer Foundation
Contact: 563-231-0458 or 773-657-3269Population served: Families with children under age 18 in active cancer treatment in the contiguous U.S.
Mission:
To provide a free non-emergency medical transportation solution to access life-saving cancer treatment and clinical trials for children fighting cancer and facing poverty or cancer-related financial toxicity.
- Provides help with travel to the hospital (must be at least 60 miles one way from home) to parents with demonstrated financial need, whose child is under 18 years old and in active cancer treatment. A doctor, nurse, or social worker must make the referral.
Corporate Angel Network, Inc.
Contact: 866-328-1313Population served: Open to all cancer patients, bone marrow donors, and bone marrow recipients who are ambulatory and not in need of medical support while traveling. Eligibility is not based on financial need, and patients may travel as often as necessary.
Mission:
To help cancer patients access the best possible treatment for their specific type of cancer by arranging free travel to treatment across the country using empty seats on corporate jets; this not only improves the patients' chances of survival but at the same time, it reduces their emotional stress, physical discomfort and financial burden.
- Must be a cancer patient (or bone marrow donor or recipient):
- Traveling to treatment, consultation, or a check-up
- Traveling to recognized treatment center (National Cancer Institute or American College of Surgeons)
- Able to walk up the steps of a corporate aircraft without assistance
- Not in need of oxygen, IV, or onboard medical assistance
- Can be accompanied by family member(s) or companion.
Family Reach
Contact: WebsitePopulation served: Cancer patients and their families within the 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and U.S. territories
Mission:
Dedicated to removing the financial barriers standing between a cancer patient and their treatment.
- Delivers financial education, financial planning, resource navigation, and emergency relief funds to patients and caregivers facing a cancer diagnosis so no family has to choose between their health and their home. Patient must have a cancer diagnosis; be in active treatment or have completed treatment within 1 year; receive treatment within the US, Puerto Rico or US territories; be represented by a healthcare professional from the treatment center who can communicate with Family Reach on their behalf.
Lazarex Cancer Foundation
Contact: 877-866-9523 or 925-820-4517Population served: Cancer patients in the US
Other language(s): Spanish, Mandarin, KoreanMission:
To improve access to clinical trials for cancer patients
- Helps cancer patients navigate clinical trial options
- Offers financial assistance (such as lodging and transportation costs) for participation in FDA approved clinical trials; call for eligibility details
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Provides community outreach and education.
LifeLine Pilots
Contact: 800-822-7972Population served: Serves people from certain Midwest states who are seeking medical treatment far from home or have a compassionate need
Mission:
To facilitate free air transportation, through volunteer pilots, for financially distressed children and adults with medical and humanitarian needs.
- Primarily serves a 10-state area: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin; will partner with other air charities and airlines as needed. The planes used are 4 to 6 seat aircraft owned and operated by private pilots serving as volunteers.
Live Like Bella Childhood Cancer Foundation
Contact: 786-505-3914Population served: Families whose child is under the age of 21 and diagnosed with a pediatric cancer before age 18
Mission:
To be a leader in childhood cancer research and advocacy while providing financial and emotional support to families whose children are battling cancer.
- Provides financial assistance for a variety of needs to pediatric cancer families while the child is undergoing treatment; social worker from treatment facility must apply on behalf of the family
- Works with funeral homes to provide assistance towards memorial costs for children whose battle with cancer has ended
- Funds pediatric cancer research.
Mercy Medical Angels
Contact: 757-318-9174 or WebsitePopulation served: Patients who need help with air or ground transportation in order to receive medical care in the US
Mission:
To ensure that no one in need is denied medical care because of a lack of transportation.
- Patients must be ambulatory, medically stable, and meet a financial guideline; see website for details and to apply
- Air transportation may be provided by volunteer pilots or commercial airlines
- The Angel Wheels ground transportation program may provide low-income patients with gas cards, bus or train tickets for medical care more than 50 miles away and generally not exceeding 300 miles.
Miracle Flights
Contact: 800-359-1711 or 702-261-0494Population served: Children under 18 needing specialized medical care; adults needing specialized medical care as funding allows
Mission:
To improve access to health care by providing financial assistance to low income children for commercial air travel to obtain specialized medical care or second opinions.
- Provides free, non-emergency medical air transportation via commercial airlines to children under the age of 18; flight assistance is also provided to the parents/legal guardians traveling with the child patient
- Covers inbound medical travel to the U.S. only from all points around the world; destination must be to a licensed medical doctor or facility
- Applicants must qualify both financially and medically
- Patients must be ambulatory (wheelchairs ok), and able to meet all airline requirements to fly
- Adult patients may receive assistance, along with an adult medically-necessary caregiver, when funding allows
- An administrative fee of $50 is applied to all adult travelers
- May also assist with travel for training sessions with a service dog.
PALS Patient Airlift Services
Contact: 631-694-7257Population served: Needy individuals, primarily in the Northeastern United States
Mission:
To arrange free air transportation for individuals requiring medical diagnosis, treatment or follow-up, for military personnel and their families, or for other compassionate and humanitarian purposes.
- Passengers must be ambulatory and meet other criteria; call or check website for details.
Patient Travel Referral Program
Contact: WebsitePopulation served: Patients needing transportation by air or ground
Mission:
To provide information and referrals to patients for charitable, long-distance medical transportation.
- A program of Mercy Medical Angels, it provides information and referrals for charitable, long-distance medical transportation for patients and patient escorts
- Refers to air ambulance assistance services and non-emergency ground transportation.
The Air Care Alliance (ACA)
Contact: 888-260-9707Population served: Assists all cancer patients, and their caregiver or companion, in air travel to a treatment center far from home.
Mission:
To assist those in need of transport services such as patient transport, disaster relief, and educational experiences for youth, environmental support, and other missions of public service.
- Provides a listing of all non-profit volunteer flying groups to patients, communities, and others with needs.
The Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation
Contact: 212-838-3029 or 800-365-1336Population served: Transplant patients and families, caregivers, survivors in the US
Mission:
To improve the quality of life for cancer and transplant patients and their families by providing vital financial assistance, comprehensive resources, educational information, physician referrals, and emotional support programs.
- Patient Navigators provide guidance and support to anyone faced with a cancer diagnosis or needing a bone marrow or hematopoietic cell transplant
- Lifeline Fund provides financial support to help cover the costs of donor searches, medications, home and child care services, medical equipment, transportation, cord blood banking, housing costs and other expenses associated with transplant
- Carelines provides social media tools for crowdfunding, journaling and a volunteer task calendar for anyone with a cancer diagnosis or receiving a bone marrow, stem cell or cord blood transplant
- Scholarship Grants help make educational aspirations a reality for bone marrow, stem cell or cord blood transplant survivors
- Clinical Care Counseling provides confidential individual and family supportive counseling, financial guidance and resource referrals for cancer, transplant patients, and family members
- Ask the Expert enables individuals to anonymously pose questions concerning transplantation and to have them answered by transplant specialists
- SupportLine links transplant patients and their families with volunteers who have gone through the transplant experience
- Support Groups provide patients, families and caregivers the opportunity to share experiences and draw support from one another
- Medical and Educational Handbooks provide comprehensive transplant information and resources
The National Children’s Cancer Society
Contact: 314-241-1600 or 800-532-6459Population served: Children with cancer and their families, caregivers, survivors, health professionals
Mission:
To provide emotional, financial, and educational support to children with cancer, their families, and survivors.
- Transportation Assistance Fund alleviates the financial burden of travel and lodging for families who have a child with cancer, when a child needs to stay near the hospital for treatment and nonprofit lodging is unavailable.
- Emergency Assistance Fund provides limited funds for emergency expenses to families who have a child that has been inpatient or away from home for an extended period.
- Online community provides a private network for parents, caregivers, and survivors of childhood cancer to connect, share, and offer support to one another.
- The "Beyond the Cure" Survivorship Program (BTC) prepares survivors and their families for life after cancer. The Late Effects After Treatment Tool (LEATT) provides a personal online assessment of potential late effects based on their specific diagnosis and treatment.
- The "Beyond the Cure" Ambassador Scholarship Program awards college scholarships to childhood cancer survivors to help them achieve their future goals.
- Mentorship Program pairs a younger child in treatment (ages 10-17) with a scholarship recipient who becomes a trusted ally as they face the challenges of childhood cancer.
- Provides resources and free publications to families and healthcare professionals
- Global Outreach Program partners with pharmaceutical companies to distribute donated cancer treatment drugs and medical supplies around the world.
Wings of Hope
Contact: 800-448-9487 or 636-537-1302Population served: Individuals who need specialized medical care and air transportation to treatment, primarily within a 600-mile radius of St. Louis, Missouri.
Mission:
To change and save lives through the power of aviation.
- Provides medical air transport services, free of charge, to individuals who need specialized medical care not available to them locally. Aircraft are specially outfitted with stretchers to accommodate fragile and non-ambulatory patients. Individuals are flown to hospitals and treatment centers in 26 states within a 600-mile radius of St. Louis, Missouri
- Has global partnerships in Latin America, Africa and Asia.