North Carolina's Patricia Levett Continues Breast Cancer Battle as She Boards Her 27th Miracle Flight to Life-Saving Treatment This Week
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Breast Cancer Awareness Month may be winding down, but Patricia Levett's battle against metastatic breast cancer continues. This week, the 48-year-old grandmother from Clayton, North Carolina, will embark on her 27th Miracle Flight to the ongoing medical treatment that's saving her life.
"My tumors are finally shrinking, but the doctors say we have to continue with treatment for the long term," says Levett. "I said that's fine, because I plan to be around for a long time!"
Three and half years ago, Levett's prognosis told a different story. On the eve of her final chemo treatment, local doctors delivered a grim prognosis: her Stage 2 triple positive breast cancer had progressed to Stage 4 and metastasized to her liver. She was given two months to live and told to go home and get her final papers in order. Instead, Levett and her family went home and prayed.
Mid-prayer, Levett's father-in-law saw a commercial for Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), Atlanta, in Newnan, Georgia, and called on her behalf. Three days later, Levett sat in a doctor's office at CTCA, learning about a new, more hopeful treatment plan.
But Levett's optimism was tempered by concerns of how she could afford to keep making the 400-mile trip to see the doctors who were saving her life. While CTCA covered her flights for the first few months, that resource proved limited, and the after-effects of chemotherapy made sitting for long stretches in the car challenging.
Levett's oncologist referred her to Miracle Flights, the national nonprofit that provides free plane tickets to children and adults who, like Levett, need complex medical treatment not available in their local communities. Miracle Flights arranges commercial flights at no cost to patients to any medical facility in the United States, for any medical condition, and as many times as necessary. They also fund flights for companions: children may travel with both parents; adults with one medically necessary caregiver.
"Miracle Flights is heaven sent," says Levett. "When you already have so much to think about, the last thing you want to worry about—the last thing you should worry about—is 'how do I get to my doctors?' What a blessing it is for Miracle Flights to take that burden off me and so many other people."
Levett, joined by her 20-year-old son as her caregiver, departs for CTCA on Thursday, October 24, 2019.
About Miracle Flights
Miracle Flights is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free medical air transportation to children and adults via commercial airlines throughout the United States. The organization, founded in 1985, has provided 128,303 flights and currently books an average of 700 flights per month. To request a flight, learn more or donate, call 800-359-1711 or visit miracleflights.org. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram.
Press Contact: Erika Koff: (702) 261-0494 or [email protected]
SOURCE Miracle Flights
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