Luke Maeding is 14 years old and in the eighth grade. He has had double lung transplants and is now suffering from intestinal pseudo-obstruction, a chronic illness. He carries IV fluids in his backpack and something else that makes him feel safe; Joe DeMarco’s business card.
Joe DeMarco is a pilot who uses his skill and passion to save lives. He and his wife, Diane DeMarco, co-founded Wings Flights of Hope in 2009. The nonprofit is a humanitarian/medical air transportation service with 12 volunteer pilots serving the northeastern part of the US. Wings flies people to doctors’ appointments, emergency medical operations and chemo sessions and it’s all free of charge.
Life changing flight
Joe wasn’t always a pilot. He was a Mason Contractor in New York. He accompanied a close friend, Kevin D’Angelo, on a mission flight from New Jersey to New York City. The two flew a 2-year old boy suffering from cancer to an emergency operation in New York City’s Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“When we arrived in New York, his mother was hugging and thanking us amidst tears,” recalls Joe. “I realized what a difference we had made to the family. We had been part of giving this boy a chance to live. I knew I had found my calling.”
Joe worked over the next five years to gain his qualification for medical flights. He and his wife then founded Wings and have never looked back.
Flights of hope
Wings has been in operation for slightly over six years now. In that time, the organization has made over 1,300 flights to ensure that patients received the medical treatment they needed. Joe, 55, flies full time and has flown over 300 people to their appointments in the last five years. His wife, Diane, 53, fundraises for maintenance of the planes and fuel. She also finds the patients and schedules flights. She has organized over 340 flights in the past year.
“The people we fly are an inspiration to us,” says Joe. “They are so courageous in facing the difficult situations they are in. It’s rewarding to be part of their fight for survival.”
Families and friends of patients reach out to Wings through their website and Facebook page every day. It’s Diane’s job to reach out to the pilots and airports to organize for flights once the documentation is complete.
Although some people have only flown once with Wings, others are frequent flyers. “I’ve flown some people so many times that they are like family to me,” says Joe. One such patient is Luke Maedig who’s flown 10 times with Joe.
“Joe and Diane have given their lives so that people like my son can live,” says Heather Maedig, Luke’s mother. “If it wasn’t for them, Luke wouldn’t be alive. And they do it all for free. It’s incredible.”
Joe hopes to expand Wings and offer services to other areas by recruiting more pilots.
