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Transplanting Care Across State Borders

szawatski
Explorer C
In May of 2014, I was told that my mom needed a liver transplant. I never thought anyone close to me would endure that kind of health issue, so I was left with many questions and was unsure of why this was happening. Answers about treatment would come in the following days; but living out of state, I now needed to figure out my travel to Arizona to care for my mom. I learned that Southwest, through their Medical Transportation Grant Program, partnered with Banner University Medical Center Phoenix to generously donate complimentary roundtrip tickets to patients and or their caregivers. As my mom’s caregiver, I was able to fly to Arizona and not give too much thought to the cost of the airline ticket. My care and attention needed to be focused on my mom. I knew this was one of those situations where I needed to be home, no matter what, and Southwest was there when I needed it most. My responsibilities were less taxing than I had imagined as my mom wanted to do everything on her own. After her transplant, even the physical therapists were impressed by how much better she looked and the amount of energy she had compared to when she was in the hospital. It was encouraging knowing they saw improvements in her health. While life is full of changes, Southwest makes changes not only for the good of their Company, but to become better for the People they serve.  Southwest and all their Employees truly have caring hearts and they show their compassionate spirits in all they do and provide. I am very grateful for all they have given me during this emotional time; it is really nice to have a partner that truly cares. Since the Southwest Airlines Medical Transportation Grant Program’s inception in 2007, more than $19.6 million in complimentary air travel has been distributed to organizations in 26 states. In 2016, Southwest will provide more than $3.2 million in free transportation to caregivers and patients seeking medical treatment. A full list of participating nonprofit hospitals and medical transportation organizations can be found at www.southwest.com/medicalgrant.