Miller Children’s Pediatric Rehab Patients Go Up, Up and Away as Part of a Special Summer Rehab Event

On Wednesday, Aug. 21, Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach pediatric rehabilitation patients with special needs, such as spina bifida, brain injuries, neuromuscular disorders and other conditions, were given the opportunity to participate in a special event that paired them with a volunteer pilot for a short “Discovery Flight” over the South Bay area.

Participants gathered at the California Flight Center in
Long Beach for this unique experience. Upon their arrival patients were introduced to their pilots for the day and then got straight to flying. The small crew of volunteer pilots had two and four-seat planes at their disposal, all of which presented a different flying experience for the patients.

The program is designed to give the children an experience that is exclusively for them. In most families with a special needs child there is always someone there with them to make sure that they are okay, but it also is important to let them have their independence and take control of a situation. Adventures, such as these flights, encourage children to seek out new activities and give them something to look forward to while they are out of school and receiving regular therapy.

While in the air, the pilots taught patients the basics of flying, such as what the gauges mean and how to use the controls on the aircraft. If they were comfortable, patients were given the opportunity to take the controls for themselves and maneuver through the air. For more than three hours they were able to take to the skies, and in most cases, experience flights on several different types of planes.

“Activities such as our flying event help break the monotony of regular therapy sessions,”
says Mariana de Sena, C.T.R.S., recreational therapist, Miller Children’s. “Being able to participate in these events boosts confidence for the kids and helps teach parents just how capable the kids can be on their own.”

Now in its 12th year, the pediatric rehab summer flying event has been able to accommodate more than 125 children and their families. Keith Furlong, president of the California Flight Center, has worked with de Sena since the program’s inception and repeatedly provides his aircrafts and services at no cost to the hospital or patients.