On March 17, three year old Reid LeBeau received a lifesaving flight from Pilots To The RescueOn March 17th, Pilots To The Rescue founding pilot Michael Schneider had the honor of flying Reid LeBeau and his mom from their home to Boston Children's Hospital. Reid is a happy kid who loves school, super heroes, and dogs - the family has two, Kendall (a Lab) and Wyatt (a Sheltie). Reid and his family recently enjoyed a Make A Wish trip to Disney World and Universal.
But life isn't as simple as it should be for this adorable 3 year old. Reid was only 2 days old when they discovered he had Hirschsprungs Disease, a congenital condition missing nerve cells in the muscles of the baby's colon. His is a very rare case, with only 1 in 500,000 having this severe a form of the disease. As a result of the disease, Reid suffers from Short Bowel Syndrome. His colon is only 1' long, much shorter than normal. That means Reid can eat, but because his colon is so short, there is no time for his body to absorb the nutrients he needs to survive and grow.
Eventually, doctors hope to do surgery to help Reid, but for now, he sleeps hooked up to machine every night. The sophisticated device does what his colon normally would - it helps him absorb the nutrients he needs. Every 8 weeks, Reid goes to Boston Children's Hospital so doctor's can manage and adjust the lifesaving machine. This time it was our turn to help out, flying Reid and his mom the 400+ miles from Delaware to Massachussets and another 400+ miles back home the following day.
We were thrilled to Team up with Angel Flight East and so fortunate to have met this amazing young man. Take care and be safe, Reid!
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