Transportation

Tips for Getting There

Transportation to and from the Proton Center to your home is something that takes some assessment in terms of how far you are from the center and how frequently you will go to and from your home. Ideally, you will live close enough that you can make the daily commute by car. However, most people have to travel farther than driving makes practical and must plan to stay near the proton center. Plus, your child may be going through chemotherapy. You have to consider and coordinate all the necessary treatments during proton treatment. Your child’s ANC counts may not be high enough to utilize commercial travel unless travel is well-planned ahead of time. 

 
Typically, proton treatment sessions for children are from 25 – 30 treatments. Usually, each day Monday through Friday, your child will have proton treatment. So you are looking at a 5 -6 week stint once your “simulation phase” is complete. Simulation is the process where they make the apertures (cooper piece that controls beam’s area) and compensators (a thick plastic piece that controls the depth of the beam.) The simulation appointment will typically be your first appointment and take longer than you normal treatment sessions. This is because a new ct scan may be needed and your child will be fitted with for aperture and compensator. Small marks, or tattoos, will be placed so that the team can align your child properly for each treatment.  From simulation until your plates are ready can be about 10 business days.  In between this time, you may have other treatments and checks going on so whether you decide to stay at this point or go home and come back for your temporary residence status later certainly depends on cost and the situation.
 
 If your child will be going through chemotherapy at the same time, you will need to coordinate this treatment with nearby children’s hospital as well as blood tests and monitoring.  With all this being said, you still need to have reliable transportation and/or a place to stay while there. 
 
Your children’s hospital Social Worker may have additional sources to assist you so don’t be afraid to ask.
 
There are pros and cons to using commercial versus private sources. Commercial services are purchased on any major airline. One pro is there are a variety of flights available to all proton centers since they are all near major cities. The flights are typically much faster than private sources because the planes are larger and don’t require refueling along the way. The major con is that depending on your child’s overall health it may be difficult to maneuver through the airport and the plane. Additionally, airplanes and airports are full of people and therefore full of germs. When you child’s immune system is already compromised, you will be subjecting them to a germ fest. You can travel during non peak times, and clean your seat and area when you arrive. You can also have your child wear a mask. Many major airlines have pre-boarding available for persons with ”diabilities”. Your child has a disability and it is cancer. Use it to get the choice seats, and hopefully empathetic treatment from airline staff. You may be able to get friends and family to donate frequent flyer miles to help with travel costs.
 
Private sources include:
 
The Air Care Alliance, a nationwide league of humanitarian flying organizations dedicated to community service.  The Air Care Alliance is an extensive central listing providing free air transportation services by volunteer pilots and charitable aviation groups. 
 
The nation’s leading nonprofit charitable organization for flying seriously ill children and their families for medical treatment or second opinions is Miracle Flights for Kids. This organization has provided this service since 1995 and has provided over 55,000 flights to date.
 
A referral helpline is provided by National Patient Air Transport Helpline.. This helpline has been in existence since 1991, and offers referrals to the most appropriate charitable organization for families in need of medical air transportation assistance.
 
Free air transportation to and from medical facilities for critically ill and injured children in need is provided by Children's Flight of Hope.. Transportation is provided for children and their families who are otherwise unable to travel to their destinations for financial or other reasons.
 
Wings for Children provides free transportation for victims of child abuse as well as those that need medical treatment.
 
Children's Angel Flight is dedicated to helping child patients and their families in need of travel for medical reasons.
 
Corporate Angel Network arranges free air transportation for cancer patients traveling to treatment using empty seats on corporate jets.
 
Children and senior citizens affected by catastrophic illnesses may be able to receive no-cost or low-cost transportation from The Gift of Life Air Transportation. This organization was the first non-profit full service air ambulance in the U.S.
 
Mercy Medical Airlift coordinates free airline tickets for trips over 1,000 miles.
 
Kids in Flight gives seriously children a chance to experience aviation. This is a non-profit organization that uses airplane rides to gives seriously ill children an opportunity to escape by soaring above the struggles of their illnesses.
 
Air Charity Network is comprised or independent member organizations for specific geographic areas. Members include Angel Flights Northeast, Angel Flights Southeast, Angel Flights Central, and Angel Flights Mid-Atlantic.
 
Hope Flight Foundation provides medical air transportation in the states of California, Nevada, and Oregon.  Airlift Hope Southeast services the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Learn more here
 
The private source planes are usually planes owned by a private party that donates its use for children going through cancer treatment. The pilots are also volunteers. They are not doctors or nurses so you must have the health care issues addressed prior to travel. These planes are smaller than commercial airlines so they can experience turbulence and also may require a refueling along the way which will ultimately take longer than commercial to reach your designation.   However, the flight will be private so your child can be accommodated on an individual level. Also, your child’s exposure to germs will be minimized.