Plane pull at Edmonton airport raises money, awareness for Hope Air

Teams of people took turns pulling a 30,000 kilogram WestJet plane 100 metres down the tarmac at the Edmonton International Airport on Monday.

They’re going head-to-head battling for the best time, but it’s part of a bigger cause.

The Haul for Hope event is raising money and awareness for Hope Air – Canada’s only national charity that helps people travel for medical care.

Hope Air has been around for four decades, since 1986, but in the last few years the charity has seen a big increase in demand.

“In 2021 we did 6,000 travel arrangements,” Jon Collins said, Hope Air’s chief development officer.

“This year we’re projecting to do 40,000 and have already hit an annual record for the charity.”

Hope Air supports low-income Canadians and a full-service trip costs about $1,000.

“If you’re thinking about being out of pocket $1,000 for a diagnosis that you weren’t expecting to receive, and then taking multiple trips in these difficult economic times, and in general, that’s a real challenge for household budgets,” Collins said.

“We get people directly where they need to go without having to ask difficult questions about how they’re going to get there.

“We help them focus on what matters — which is their health.”

Adrienne Mahoney learned about Hope Air when she was receiving care at the University of Alberta Hospital.

“I was lucky enough that I had a donor angel who blessed me with a second chance at life — I had a heart transplant in 2019,” Mahoney explained.

She was also dealing with other diagnoses like cancer, organ rejection and chronic virus and autoimmune issues.

Part of her care included going to Calgary every week, for six months, for treatment.

“As a patient who’s going through a cancer surgery at the time — and heart failure — the last thing on your mind is all the logistics,” Mahoney said.

Hope Air funded the travel that saved her heart.

“I can’t even imagine the thousands of dollars that was probably spent and for me when I look at the out-of-pocket expense… I know it would have financially crippled me,” she explained.

Haul for Hope is taking place in cities across the country and aims to raise $300,000.

Click here for more information about Hope Air.

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