Saturday, August 26, 2006
A Rain of Kindness
Yesterday was further proof for me that you never know what lies around the proverbial corner. A fellow cancer patient enrolled in the same clinical trial was scheduled to travel on the Angel Flight with me. His wife was with him at the airport, and we discovered that she and I had met and gone horseback riding together, a number of years ago. She was not able to go on the flight because of passenger restrictions on the return flight. I assured her I would keep an eye on Fred.
Up in the air, we were flying through some bumpiness at times because Fred had breathing problems that might have been compounded by a higher altitude. He was not fully recovered from his Tuesday treatment, so was feeling pretty weak. But we were fortunate to be in a nice big comfortable Bonanza. When we arrived in Charleston, the pilot hugged me and went off to play golf with an old friend. A different pilot was scheduled to take us on the return flight.
The staff at Mercury Air at the Charleston Executive Airport were very good to us. They loaned us a "crew car" free of charge, to drive to the cancer center and back. I did the driving, and we made it there despite a blindingly heavy downpour that left the street in front of the hospital ankle deep in water. Fred and I had our treatments and after a couple hours were ready to return for the flight home.
During our drive back to the airport, I received the call you don't want to hear when you are 250 miles from home without your car, having just had chemo..."The mission was cancelled." I said to the Angel Flight volunteer, just to make sure we were on the same page, "You mean that we are stranded here with no way home?" She assured me that the pilot knows best when it comes to safety, and this one was telling her that the weather was not safe for flying. By that time the sun was shining and Fred and I were at the airport looking at the Weather Channel, seeing no hint of rain clouds anywhere on the map for SC. But, the pilot is in charge of these decisions....Angel Flights advised us to make alternate plans.
It rained more than water that day; we were showered with kindness from many different directions. Carol at Mercury Air insisted on making overnight arrangements for us at a nearby hotel, got us the "crew" rate, and cajoled the hotel into picking us up at the airport. At one point, she went up to the flight school to see if one of the more experienced pilots could find a plane to fly us back that night. When the shuttle arrived, she asked that the hotel find food and bring it to us.
The Springhill Suites shuttle bus was driven by the manager, who came out in her stiletto heels, long skirt and bangles to pick us up. At the hotel, she found a menu for the California Dreamin restaurant and instructed the staff to go pick up our order and bring it back for us. Carol from Mercury Air called me from home around 9 PM to make sure we were OK and see if we needed anything.
The next morning, the hotel located a rental car for us, and talked them into coming to pick us up, something they normally do not do. The manager of the Thrifty car rental came over himself to pick us up and apologized for taking so long - this is a busy time for them. He gave us a minivan at the intermediate car price so we would be more comfortable and Fred would not have to move.
It was not an easy time for either of us, chemo and its side effects being what they are. We still had a four-hour drive ahead of us. But I was truly touched by the kindness of people who went out of their way to more than just do their jobs. It reminded me of the reality that our planet is inhabited by people who not only are decent and kind, but who really care and are willing to make a difference in someone's life just because they can.
Up in the air, we were flying through some bumpiness at times because Fred had breathing problems that might have been compounded by a higher altitude. He was not fully recovered from his Tuesday treatment, so was feeling pretty weak. But we were fortunate to be in a nice big comfortable Bonanza. When we arrived in Charleston, the pilot hugged me and went off to play golf with an old friend. A different pilot was scheduled to take us on the return flight.
The staff at Mercury Air at the Charleston Executive Airport were very good to us. They loaned us a "crew car" free of charge, to drive to the cancer center and back. I did the driving, and we made it there despite a blindingly heavy downpour that left the street in front of the hospital ankle deep in water. Fred and I had our treatments and after a couple hours were ready to return for the flight home.
During our drive back to the airport, I received the call you don't want to hear when you are 250 miles from home without your car, having just had chemo..."The mission was cancelled." I said to the Angel Flight volunteer, just to make sure we were on the same page, "You mean that we are stranded here with no way home?" She assured me that the pilot knows best when it comes to safety, and this one was telling her that the weather was not safe for flying. By that time the sun was shining and Fred and I were at the airport looking at the Weather Channel, seeing no hint of rain clouds anywhere on the map for SC. But, the pilot is in charge of these decisions....Angel Flights advised us to make alternate plans.
It rained more than water that day; we were showered with kindness from many different directions. Carol at Mercury Air insisted on making overnight arrangements for us at a nearby hotel, got us the "crew" rate, and cajoled the hotel into picking us up at the airport. At one point, she went up to the flight school to see if one of the more experienced pilots could find a plane to fly us back that night. When the shuttle arrived, she asked that the hotel find food and bring it to us.
The Springhill Suites shuttle bus was driven by the manager, who came out in her stiletto heels, long skirt and bangles to pick us up. At the hotel, she found a menu for the California Dreamin restaurant and instructed the staff to go pick up our order and bring it back for us. Carol from Mercury Air called me from home around 9 PM to make sure we were OK and see if we needed anything.
The next morning, the hotel located a rental car for us, and talked them into coming to pick us up, something they normally do not do. The manager of the Thrifty car rental came over himself to pick us up and apologized for taking so long - this is a busy time for them. He gave us a minivan at the intermediate car price so we would be more comfortable and Fred would not have to move.
It was not an easy time for either of us, chemo and its side effects being what they are. We still had a four-hour drive ahead of us. But I was truly touched by the kindness of people who went out of their way to more than just do their jobs. It reminded me of the reality that our planet is inhabited by people who not only are decent and kind, but who really care and are willing to make a difference in someone's life just because they can.
