United Methodist volunteer provides free medical flights to cancer patients

Florence Bethard, a member of First United Methodist Church in Coushatta, is using her skills as a pilot to make life easier for patients receiving treatment at M.D. Anderson and St. Jude hospitals.

As a member of Pilots for Patients, Florence and other volunteers fly patients to medical appointments or treatments, free of charge. To date, 2,136 people have been the recipients of these flights.

According to an article in the Coushatta , Pilots for Patients is run on donations and has only two paid employees. “We’ve all been touched by cancer or illness at some point,” said Bethard. “Think of all those people who helped you in some way. This is one of those opportunities; such a blessing.”

For more information about the organization, visit www.pilotsforpatients.org