{"id":92844,"date":"2019-07-22T00:27:34","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T00:27:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-teen-gets-help-on-wings-of-an-aeroangel\/"},"modified":"2019-07-22T00:27:34","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T00:27:34","slug":"dolores-teen-gets-help-on-wings-of-an-aeroangel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dolores-teen-gets-help-on-wings-of-an-aeroangel\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolores teen gets help on wings of an AeroAngel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Nick
Nick Lester and his parents, Kevin and Kristin. On Friday, Denver-based nonprofit AeroAngel transported Nick from Cortez Municipal Airport to Rady Children\u2019s Hospital in San Diego.<\/span>Erika Alvero\/The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Friday morning, a Pilatus PC-12 plane lifted off from Cortez Municipal Airport, carrying 15-year-old Nick Lester to Rady Children\u2019s Hospital in San Diego for cancer treatment.<\/p>\n

The Dolores teenager has acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer.<\/p>\n

The diagnosis on April 8, 2017, has complicated the teen\u2019s life, adding obstacles such as intensive treatments, a compromised immune system and missed classes.<\/p>\n

Travel has been especially challenging.<\/p>\n

This was the 11th flight for Nick provided by Denver-based nonprofit AeroAngel, and the treks have been greatly beneficial, his parents said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes when we fly there, we get back before we\u2019d even get there in a car,\u201d Nick said.<\/p>\n

He cannot travel on a commuter plane because of his weakened immune system, and travel by car is a painful three-day ordeal.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe battled it up in Denver the first time,\u201d his mother, Kristin, said. \u201cAnd then after four months of being home and in remission, he relapsed, and then we went out to California because my sister lived there, and he got treatment for the second round of cancer. And a bone marrow transplant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acute myeloid leukemia occurs when the body creates abnormal white blood cells, making it harder for someone to fight off infection, according to St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital. The disease is much more commonly seen in adults.<\/p>\n

The first time Nick underwent treatment, the long stay in Denver had been difficult. Nick\u2019s father tried to commute to Denver, and Nick\u2019s older brother shuffled around between friends\u2019 homes. So the second time, since they knew the bone marrow transplant would be a long process, they decided to move to San Diego, since Kristin\u2019s sister lived near Rady Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/p>\n

They stayed in San Diego for nearly a year before returning to Dolores.<\/p>\n

The illness has been tough on Nick and his family. It\u2019s a form of cancer not often seen in kids. Many of the medicines have been tested and approved only for adults, so insurance plans won\u2019t always cover them. Drug costs can be staggering, Kristin said.<\/p>\n

And the treatment has led to other health difficulties for Nick. The bone marrow transplant has led to a graft disease, in which donor cells essentially attack his body. Chemotherapy and steroids have weakened his bone density and have led to osteoporosis, so Nick no longer can play football and wrestle like he used to. He\u2019s lost a lot of blood from the treatment, necessitating multiple blood transfusions, and he now has too much iron in his blood.<\/p>\n

Overall, though, he\u2019s been a \u201crock star,\u201d said his mom. Despite missing about 360 classes, he\u2019s kept up academically, earning straight A\u2019s and strong test scores. Lately, he\u2019s been honing his cooking and jam-making skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m doing good,\u201d Nick said. He will be a sophomore at Dolores High School this fall.<\/p>\n

The Lesters have returned to the San Diego hospital for follow-up visits about once a month. But Nick\u2019s compromised immune system prevents him from boarding commuter flights, and the painful 12-hour drive poses a risk for his internal organs, his mom said.<\/p>\n

Which is how they connected to AeroAngel.<\/p>\n

AeroAngel<\/a> was founded in 2010 and provides free transportation \u2013 mostly for children \u2013 to those who need to travel a distance to receive urgent medical care.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a tremendous need for these flights,\u201d said Mark Pestal, founder and president of the organization. \u201c(AeroAngel\u2019s) goal is to establish a nationwide network to make a flight available on short notice for any child needing to travel and who has no other safe options. We do not accept any compensation for our passengers.\u201d<\/p>\n

A plane also offers passengers with serious medical conditions some flexibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith medically fragile passengers, we\u2019re able to divert quickly to get medical help if necessary; not something you can do when driving across Nevada,\u201d Pestal said. So far, they have flown more than 100 flights across the country.<\/p>\n

Last year, AeroAngel received a Learjet 55, a midsize business jet, which has helped to expand their coverage nationally.<\/p>\n

Nick flew on a Pilatus PC-12, a jet turboprop plane, Pestal said, because the Learjet was down for maintenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll be home tonight in time for dinner,\u201d Nick\u2019s father, Kevin, said.<\/p>\n

James Patrick \u201cPat\u201d Dye was one of the volunteer pilots on the flight. He\u2019s the senior captain on the Learjet and is qualified on the PC-12.<\/p>\n

Dye has flown a variety of kids around the country to their necessary treatment \u2013 a girl from North Dakota to Houston, and young foster twins from Montana to Denver.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are things, there\u2019s no monetary value that you can attach to them,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause it\u2019s a human life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick has become a regular passenger and a favorite of the crew.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a pretty special child,\u201d Dye said. \u201cA special person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Nick
Nick Lester\u2019s leukemia diagnosis inspired his mother, Kristin, to start drawing and painting images of children battling cancer, as a way to raise awareness for childhood cancer and raise money for cancer research.<\/span>Image by Kristin Lester<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Nick may increase his follow-up visits to twice a month, so the Lesters might go up to Denver for some time, Kristen said. The experience has led to her to start painting and drawing pictures of children fighting cancer, along with those who helped her son through his treatment. She hopes to bring awareness to the reality of childhood cancer and raise funds for research.<\/p>\n

For more information, contact Kristin Lester at Kristin.lester66@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ealvero@the-journal.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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