Miracle Flights is a nonprofit that provides free medical air transportation on commercial airlines for children, adults and families who need access to specialized care across the United States. Founded in 1985, the organization has arranged more than 123,000 flights and logged over 70 million miles to connect patients with treatments they cannot obtain locally.
In February 2019 the charity reached a new milestone by arranging 722 free commercial flights for critically ill children and families—an increase of 17 percent over February 2018, when it provided 617 flights, and nearly 31 percent more than the 552 flights completed in February 2017. These gains reflect growing awareness and community support for Miracle Flights’ mission to remove travel as a barrier to essential medical care.
Miracle Flights focuses on patients whose medical needs require travel beyond a reasonable driving distance. The program coordinates flights, works with families and healthcare providers, and leverages airline partnerships and volunteers to make travel possible for those who otherwise could not afford it.
To expand its reach and raise funds, Miracle Flights partnered with Lovepop, a company known for three-dimensional greeting cards. For Rare Disease Day on Feb. 28, Lovepop created a special Love Bear pop-up card and pledged to donate $1 from every Love Bear card sold to Miracle Flights. That fundraising effort was planned to continue through the end of the year, helping to support additional flights and services for families facing medical crises.
By increasing the number of flights year over year and building partnerships with companies and supporters, Miracle Flights continues to scale its impact—ensuring that more patients can access life-saving and life-changing care regardless of where they live.