Edeana Merrylees’ family has used service for 18 years
GORE BAY—A record number of Northern Ontario families have sought support from Hope Air to reach medical care far from home, including at least one Gore Bay family who have been able to use these services for 18 years.
Hope Air, Canada’s national charity providing travel support to patients in financial need who must travel far from home to access vital medical care, has announced an all-time annual record high in travel arrangement support for residents of Ontario. This milestone of 3,367 travel arrangements in Ontario includes over 1,736 airline flights for families, individuals and children travelling from diverse communities across the province including Thunder Bay, Timmins, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Hearst, Sudbury, Gore Bay, Kenora and Windsor, among many others. Jodi Lumsden, director of marketing and communications for Hope Air said the service has benefitted several families from around Manitoulin who it provides medical air service for.
Hope Air’s free medical travel programs assist patients living in numerous small, remote or rural communities across Ontario, providing airline, hotel, meals and ground transportation programs. Hope Air (which is based in Toronto) supports patients who cannot afford the significant expenses associated with travelling for diagnostic testing, treatment and follow-up care for a variety of health conditions including cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, respiratory, orthopedic, mental health, autism and pediatric among many others. Hope Air programs support the policies of government that are committed to reducing poverty and improving access to health care.
Ms. Merrylees, a single mother raising three children, found herself needing the support of her family and friends on their drive because her daughter Hope needed special care as they travelled. With their nearest hospital 45 minutes away, and without specialty care, they have had to travel for the last 18 years to receive medical care for her daughter Hope Merrylees-Cooper.
“There would be no possible way I could have possibly been able to travel back and forth repeatedly, sometimes multiple times in a month without Hope Air’s assistance,” stated Edeana Merrylees. “I was depending on my family to help with my other children, having to take time off work for the travel. Hope Air became a huge part of our lives. I have no clue what I would do without them.”
Hope was born in 2005 with an uncontrolled seizure disorder and was immediately taken by air ambulance to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa. Ms. Merrylees would drive almost 700 kilometres from Gore Bay to Ottawa to receive treatment for Hope’s condition. Normally the drive could have only taken eight hours, however, Hope was on an apnea monitor to check her breathing, which made the trip longer. “With a small child, it took 11 to 12 hours because the monitor rang frequently and required us to pull over to check on her. It was really challenging,” said Ms. Merrylees.
It wasn’t until 2010 when a nurse at CHEO told Ms. Merrylees about Hope Air. Since then, the flights arranged by Hope Air have made a world of difference to Hope and her mother. “Instead of having to put her in a car and drive for 12 hours, we have a one hour flight,” Ms. Merrylees says. “This takes the stress out of going.”
“It has made a huge difference in Hope’s life and in our family’s life because we are both able to be home more,” said Ms. Merrylees. “The flights also mean that Hope can make all the appointments that she needs to, which lets the neurologists at CHEO monitor her more closely. “It makes it so much easier to get her proper care.”
Since that pivotal flight in 2010, Hope Air has been woven into the fabric of their family. Today, Hope has flown 34 missions with Hope Air and continues to use their services. Her extremely slow digestive system and neurological issues have caused absorption issues which causes her to have a lot less energy and require a lot more sleep and rest than a normal 18-year-old. But anyone who knows Hope knows that doesn’t stop her “larger-than-life attitude” from putting a smile on everyone’s faces.
“Where you live should not determine if you live,” said Mark Rubinstein, chief hope officer with Hope Air, in a release “With soaring demand from families and children in need who turn to Hope Air, we must continue to answer their call. As demand grows exponentially, exceeding our available resources, we must come together, government, health care sector, private sector, donors and volunteers to support the unique role that Hope Air plays in Ontario. Equitable access to health care, despite distance or financial means is a fundamental right.”
Funding for Hope Air programs is provided through the generous support of corporate, foundation and individual donors. However, as demand will exceed available resources, Hope Air is advocating for a funding partnership with the Government of Ontario. Low-income families in rural and remote communities are twice as likely to have multiple chronic conditions as compared to others.
The expenses paid by a patient to travel long distance for medical care can exceed $2,000 per trip.
