Peoria non-profit provides free flights for patients facing severe health challenges

PEORIA ( 25News Now ) - A Peoria-based nonprofit is making a difference one flight at a time.

Founded in 1981 in Champaign, LifeLine Pilots coordinates flights for passengers with medical and humanitarian needs far from home for free.

Volunteer pilots donate their time and resources to every person who boards their planes.

LifeLine Pilots Development Coordinator Ann Rude explained how the flights are not your standard flights. She calls them a distraction from the health concerns that often weigh on passengers' minds.

"It's very personal and private and a nice, comfortable way to travel," said Rude. "Particularly, if you're going for something that's going to make you sick or uncomfortable."

LifeLine Pilots serves passengers in 10 states across the Midwest. Pilots can fly anywhere from 100 to 1,000 miles, between the Rocky Mountains and the East Coast.

In 2023, 329 passengers flew for a total of 928 flights.

Laurie Palmer from Canton is now battling cancer for the second time. She already beat ovarian cancer, but in September, she was diagnosed with a form of skin cancer.

Palmer said the periodic trips to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, were stressful and expensive. She said round-trip airline tickets and taxis to hotels cost her $300 to $400.

"It added to the stress of the journey," Palmer said. "You would have major layovers in Chicago, and then when you got to Minneapolis-St. Paul, you had to figure out on your own how you were going to get to Rochester."

Since hearing about the nonprofit, Palmer has flown with LifeLine Pilots 20 times. She said it has also helped her emotionally.

"It's almost like flying with a friend," Palmer said. "Instead of just getting on a commercial flight, you actually get to know them by the time the flight has ended."

Private pilot Mike Kraft has flown around 15 missions for LifeLine Pilots since 2022 and 125 missions for a similar nonprofit called Angel Flight .

"I wanted to do it because I really didn't want to just fly around in circles, or fly for hamburgers, or fly for no reason at all," Kraft said. "It is very gratifying. It's pretty heartwarming to see their response."

Those looking for more information on how to volunteer, donate, or request a flight can visit LifeLine Pilots' website .