Corporate Angel Network To Make 50,000th Flight

Tonight, Corporate Angel Network (CAN) will complete its 50,000th flight by transporting one-year-old cancer patient Baron Yerbe and his parents from New York-area Teterboro Airport to Atlanta. Yerbe, who was diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer at three months old, had been receiving treatment at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. The flight is being provided by Atlanta-base Fortune 500 company NCR.

U.S.-based CAN matches patients who need to travel for treatment with companies willing to provide complimentary transportation in their aircraft. Generally, this happens when the aircraft is already being used for a trip to or from the city where the treatment is available. More than 500 corporations participate in the program.

The program is open to all cancer patients, bone marrow donors and bone marrow recipients who do not need medical support while traveling. According to CAN, eligibility is not based on financial need and patients can travel as often as necessary. The organization arranges typically 225 patient flights each month.

Earlier this week, CAN announced the appointment of Gina Russo as its new executive director. Russo has a background in leading charitable organizations involved in helping cancer patients.