When Justin Plouffe and Heidi Menard found out their son was sick, decisions had to be made.
When Noah was diagnosed with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, the family was faced with how they would get home to Timmins from Toronto and how they’d get back when he needed more treatment.
They had support from a social worker who knew about Hope Air.
“We were in Toronto for about three months and we were looking to come home, but we weren’t really sure how we were going to get home,” Menard said. “She’s amazing, and if we do need a flight, I just send her an email and she books it all.”
Hope Air is a not-for-profit organization that offers travel, lodging and food support to those who need to travel for medical treatment. Flights, hotels, taxis to and from the airport and hospital and meals are covered by the organization founded in 1986.
Hope Air has been a lifeline to Noah’s appointments, and the family has been back and forth 11 times so far.
“Everyone’s been amazing,” said Menard.
To raise awareness of Hope Air's work and the lifeline it offers, over 20 Northern Ontario municipalities, including Timmins, proclaimed June 7 as Hope Air Day. In Timmins a concert with performances by Cory Marks and Shaun Melanson was staged at Surge Sports Lounge to celebrate the volunteers who make that work possible.
Volunteers who fly patients like Noah are the backbone of Hope Air, and Noah’s story touched Plouffe's childhood friend, Marks, who was already looking to team up with the organization.
Marks has flown with Hope Air, but after he learned about Noah, the need for the work was driven home.
Plouffe said it was nice to have a chance to see Marks again.
“It definitely brings back memories of being a younger kid,” he said. “It’s nice to reconnect tonight and I’m looking forward to shaking hands and definitely giving him a big hug.”
The celebration wasn’t just for Hope Air Day but for the volunteer pilots who were taking part in the Give Hope Wings fundraiser, which saw them flying across eastern Canada, from Charlottetown and to Timmins. Since 2017 the week-long flights have raised $2.5 million.
“It’s individual pilots working together, I call it fun-raising and fundraising,” said Ed Johnstone, a pilot who has been with Hope Air since 2016 and one of the pilots on the fundraiser flight. “We ended up here and we go home tomorrow.”
Johnstone said that the love of flying combined with a good cause makes the work they do all the more rewarding and many have their own stories as to why they got involved.
“We had a preemie (premature baby), so I’ve always been around hospitals and care, and our preemie is 39 years old now, so all is good,” he said, “But I think the aspect of helping patients means a lot. Some people helped us so giving back and then a passion for aviation blends in nicely.
Marks said that flying into Timmins in a RV-14 before the show was a highlight.
“It was a lot of fun to fly in that beautiful machine,” he said.
“I’m hoping that people here in the Timmins community and everybody here understands a little bit more about what Hope Air is all about,” said Marks.
In 2023, Hope Air provided over 3,300 trip arrangements for people in Northern Ontario.
Demand for their services has gone up 165 per cent in 2023, and CAO Mark Rubinstein told the gathering that they’re seeking support from the provincial government as well as private donations.
“You get to a point where demand and cost are just too great,” he said. “Where you live should not determine if you live. You should get the same healthcare no matter where you live in this province.”
Rubinstein said they will continue to push for government funding to keep providing their services.
Donations for Hope Air can be made on their website.
