We get to experience many milestones in each of our lifetimes. Some of these are momentous and life changing and some are small day-to-day victories and challenges.Â
Recently Give A Mile celebrated the 200th flight of compassion given since our inception. It was an occasion to celebrate the generosity and commitment of so many people over the few short years we have been in existence.
The real celebration though will be giving a family the opportunity to be together perhaps one last time.
A nurse for more than forty years, Valda Allamby of Airdrie, Alta., had been spending winters in her native country of Barbados, helping her brother look after their elderly parents. In November 2014, she returned to Canada and was diagnosed with angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer of the blood vessels in her head.
Given mere months to live, Valda and her daughter Deb will visit her 92 year-old mom Lillian, her 89 year-old dad Clayton, and her 87 year-old aunt Alertha, one last time this coming April. Valda and Deb will stop in Toronto on the way home for a few days, where Valda will be able to see her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, friends, and former colleagues. “My family are so important to me. They’re what I have lived for my whole life,†says Valda. “For Deb and me, this will be our very last trip together. I want this to be a happy occasion for her – a memory she can treasure.â€
While we happily celebrate the Give A Mile 200th flight milestone, we are happier that Valda and her family will have the visit home allowing them to celebrate the loving bond they share.
It is the generosity of people like you that make these flights happen so more families can share the love when they need it most.. Please help spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
If you can give, please Donate Now.
