The Best Decision of Our Lives

It was supposed to be a family celebration, a joyous occasion planned to commemorate a nephew’s graduation. But a trip in May 2024 was anything but “celebratory” for Christina Davis and her family, after one of them suffered a critical medical emergency.

“My brother and mother had just flown from Newark, New Jersey to meet me and my nephew in Los Angeles, when, within three hours of landing, my mother had to be rushed to the ER,” recalled Davis. “What would have been a simple bowel obstruction procedure ended up evolving into a harrowing experience that nearly cost her her life.”

What made matters worse for Davis’ mother was that the ambulance was unexpectedly diverted from nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (due to a lack of available beds) to a small, less advanced hospital miles away. The paramedics themselves were not familiar with the hospital and appeared “concerned” that it could not provide her the kind of care required.

They may have been right.

The next few days would be a nightmare for Davis and her family, as they watched their mother get mis-diagnosed with metastatic cancer, when she really had an adhesion in her bowels. What’s more, the condition could have been easily remedied but because it was left untreated at the LA hospital, it turned into a critical situation, involving dead bowel, gangrene and sepsis.

“We tried to get her transferred to UCLA or Cedars-Sinai or any other nearby hospital, but despite every effort and advocacy on our part, our transport requests were turned down,” said Davis.

Eventually, concerned friends got Davis’ family in touch with a surgeon who worked in their mother’s hometown hospital on the Jersey Shore. The surgeon urged the family to bring their mother home immediately, using “any means necessary, hire a plane, if need be.” If they could do so, he would personally ensure her survival. “This isn’t something most surgeons advise, or promise. But it was his confidence, creativity and compassion that propelled us to take the next crucial step,” said Davis.

From that moment onward the family focused every ounce of their attention on getting Davis’ mother back to New Jersey.

“With very few hours to spare to save her life, we worked with my brother’s best friend to find a plane. He had served in Thailand during the tsunami 20 years ago and had some experience with medical flights,” said Davis. “He stayed up throughout the night and into the early morning hours to secure the services of a highly regarded group that was available to help.”

That “group,” AirMed International (AMI)—a member of the Global Medical Response family of solutions — would then take over the situation and transform a highly stressful scenario into one of calm and reassurance.

“From the moment the crew entered that chaotic scene, we knew we had made the best decision of our lives,” said Davis. “AirMed navigated every single obstacle, cutting the red tape to expedite my mother’s exodus from the hospital in LA, coordinating an ambulance to and from the airport, and securing a bed for her in advance at the awaiting hospital in New Jersey.”

And the dedication to patient care didn’t stop there. Davis says throughout the whole cross-country flight, the crew remained committed to keeping Davis’ mother safe.

“The nurses used every tool in the book to keep her alive,” said Davis. “They were steadfast and devoted. For the entirety of the seven-hour experience, they never left her side or ceased to assess and address her needs.”

Davis was also impressed by the crew’s concern for her own well-being. “They knew that I was in distress too,” said Davis. “During a fuel stopover, they each took turns to come and sit with me, even cracking a thoughtful joke here and there and ensuring I got a bite to eat. They sought to learn a little bit about me and my mom. They seemed genuinely interested in knowing about the human they were working to save.”

Fortunately, Davis’ mother arrived safely, and today she’s recovering well from that terrifying experience.

“The surgeon later said that the pilot’s dexterous efforts to land the plane in dense fog was critical; my mom only had at most two hours left to live. As it happens, Allaire Airport was where the AirMed pilot had first trained decades ago.” It was, according to Davis, a serendipitous homecoming.

As for Davis, her brother and friends, the experience is one they will not forget anytime soon, forever grateful to the team that helped save a precious member of their family.

“Every single decision that the AirMed crew made contributed to my mother’s survival and made the situation more bearable for her loved ones,” said Davis. “As I’ve said before, choosing them to help us was truly the greatest decision of our lives.”

* Benefits of the AirMed International membership program include, AirMed facilitating transports to a hospital of the patient’s choice in one of the program’s medically equipped, private aircraft. The patient pays no out-of-pocket expenses for the flight and AirMed coordinates all aspects of the mission. Additional membership benefits include worldwide air medical evacuation and repatriation to the hospital of the patient’s choice, commercial medical escorts for less extreme circumstances and transportation of mortal remains.




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