Elijah was diagnosed with a bone marrow disorder called Fanconi Anemia at just nine years old. “We didn’t know at the time how much his life would change,” says Elijah’s mom Judith. “But reality set in at our first doctor’s appointment after his diagnosis.” Judith is a single parent, and she and Elijah live eight hours away from Stanford Medicine Children’s Health where Elijah would need to go for a bone marrow transplant and treatment.
In August of 2023, Elijah and his mom received their first gifted flight to Palo Alto, Calif. for the critical procedure. Judith recalls how professional and kind AFW Command Pilot Jerald Molleston was during their journey through the skies. Five months later, and after a successful transplant, Elijah and Judith were finally discharged and able to fly back home to Ontario, Calif.
Although Elijah was nervous during his first angel flight, he knew what to expect for their flight home. Volunteer pilot, Ben Pahlavan, also made an impression on the now ten-year-old boy, giving Elijah the special opportunity to be his trusted co-pilot. “We can all name the people in our lives who made a lasting impression,” Judith says, “and Ben made a lasting impression on Elijah.”
Today, Elijah is doing well after his bone marrow transplant, and he wants to be a pilot just like Jerald and Ben.
“The hard part is over,” says Judith. “We’re so happy to be home.”
