A baby boy from Lakeville, Minnesota needed specialized medical care at a hospital across the country.
Thanks to some committed parents and a Midwest nonprofit staffed with volunteer pilots, he made the journey.
“He’s overcome like every obstacle,” said mom Mackenzie Richardson.
Chase Byers has faced some serious health challenges. The 8-month-old was born prematurely, after a high risk pregnancy, alongside his twin brother Cameron Byers.
But unlike his brother, Chase Byers was diagnosed with a heart condition — dextro-transposition of the great arteries and a ventricular septal defect — which required surgery.
“So, it essentially meant his pulmonary and aorta were switched backwards,” Richardson explained.
After seeing doctors in the Twin Cities, Chase Byers’ parents searched for a second opinion. The young couple found a heart surgeon at Boston Children’s Hospital confident he could give their child the specialized care he needed.
“[The doctor] said I am 99.9% confident I can do the arterial switch procedure, and it can be one and done,” said Richardson.
The next piece of the puzzle – transportation. Richardson considered the options, like driving nearly 20 hours or getting on a commercial flight with her son’s medical equipment and dozens of people.
“If Chase were to get a common cold within a month of his surgery, they would have postponed it so it just wasn’t a risk we were willing to take,” she said.
The family turned to a Midwest nonprofit, Lifeline Pilots, for help getting to Massachusetts.
Byers family 
“This is a way to get some flying in and feel good about it at the end of the day,” said volunteer pilot and Lifeline Pilots board member Ken Reily, who is based in Minnesota.
While Reily didn’t pilot Chase Byers’ plane, he’s flown over 50 patients in the last 18 years to non-emergency medical care.
“[Some patients] otherwise wouldn’t drive for this care or maybe it’s too expensive to travel and we can get them there,” Reily said.
The nonprofit says they flew over 1,000 flights last year and concentrate their help in ten Midwest states. Reily says it’s the people who keep him coming back year after year.
“Just the passengers, they are so thankful,” he said. “It’s just tremendously rewarding.”
After a month and a half in Boston, little Chase Byers is back at home in Minnesota recovering. His dad, Evan Byers, calls the difference “night and day.”
“After this it’s like, why would you not get a second opinion?” said Evan Byers.
The couple are immediately encouraging other families to advocate for themselves and hoping people take advantage of the nonprofit and community support that made their journey just a little bit smoother.
The Byers are still fundraising to cover the cost of their son’s future care.
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