For millions of Americans, living in rural areas means access to healthcare can be a challenge, especially for those living with rare conditions. Getting to and from appointments or seeing specialists can be an all day ordeal or even take days.
When Calvin Hamm was a baby, he started experiencing seizures, something his mom Ali said they never experienced.
“The local rural hospitals are amazing, but we’re nervous, and they couldn’t tell us a lot of information,” Ali Hamm said. “So we started getting stuck in third and fourth opinions. So that brought us to Boston, which runs at that point five hours one way.”
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Calvin was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy. The family lives in northern Maine, near Bangor, and Ali said they had decisions to make.
“Getting that news was devastating,” Ali said. “And a panel of doctors, they were amazing. But they were like, you know, you’re in northern Maine. Maybe that’s something that you can think about moving to Boston, to Massachusetts.”
Where the family lives is a nearly five hour drive from the world-class hospitals in Boston, but said she found out about Angel Flight Northeast through a family member.
“Boston Children’s was like, you know, one step at a time,” Hamm said. “[They said]…you have family in Maine. You have jobs in Maine. You have a house in Maine. What can we do [that gets] you established in Boston but still have the best quality of life for Calvin. Angel Flight came in and help us do that.”
Angel Flight Northeast, a 501c3 nonprofit, based at Lawrence Municipal Airport (KLWM), was founded by Reverend Larry Camerlin, a priest and pilot. They began operating in 1996 and since then have coordinated more than 115,000 missions over 17 million miles to 750 medical centers across the United States.
Angel Flight was able to take the family to Dartmouth in New Hampshire, where Calvin’s mom said he was able to take part in a drug trial that was approved and one that he is still on today.
“I reached out to them and I was like is there any way you think that we can do…one trip a month to Dartmouth and they said absolutely,” she said. “[They said] we will make it work. We will put you on the list and we’ll see what we get for pilots, and that’s life-changing for us.”
In 2025, Angel Flight Northeast coordinated nearly 3,800 missions for nearly 900 patients. The nonprofit has more than 300 volunteer pilots, one of whom, Kirk Walters of Vermont, has been flying for more than 50 years. He has been a volunteer for nearly 20 years and said his first flight hooked him.
“The ability to make somebody’s life a whole lot easier in terms of what they are trying to do in medical appointments, treatments, different things, it’s great,” Walters said.
Walters flies those Angel Flight passengers in his Cessna 414 that he keeps out of Burlington International Airport (KBTV).
Walters has done hundreds of charity flights and said every one he does he feels humbled.
“Every experience is different, and in some ways you’re very blessed when you get situations where we have families with children that we’ve now done for multiple years, and you’re able to see, see how they’ve grown and how life’s changed for them,” he said.
Walters has flown many flights but has developed a close bond with Calvin and the Hamms.
Since 2018, Calvin has had 48 flights with coordinated ground transportation through Angel Flight Northeast.
One of the flights that was brought up by both Ali and Walters was when the family flew to Ohio to train and pick up a seizure alert dog, they call Lava, for two weeks. Walters picked up the family to fly them back to Maine, where Hamm said from then on they felt like family.
“I feel like all of the pilots, they go above and beyond,” she said. “I definitely know Kirk and I have a relationship. If Calvin goes to Boston in November. now I text him.”
The nonprofit doesn’t charge patients for anything. It’s completely free.
“It surprises them initially when you run into somebody and you say, why aren’t you use an angel flight? And you describe it to them and they’re like, yeah, there’s got to be a hook or there’s got to be something,” he said.
Walters said it is some of the best money he has spent, and the group couldn’t do it without the corporate sponsors they have. The former bank executive sits on the board of directors for M&T Bank, which has given more than $200,000 in sponsorships and grants to the nonprofit.
“There’s never going to be a charge, never any expense to it,” he said. “And like I mentioned before because of the corporate sponsors we have, we are able to also provide the other parts of it, the, getting the Uber rides to the hospitals or the Earth Angels. We have a lot of Earth angels that really are angels.”
The nonprofit organization has 50 volunteer Earth Angel drivers in addition to having community ambassadors who help spread the word of the mission.
“Angel Flight changed our lives where Calvin gets the best care,” Hamm said. “Calvin gets doctors that know his diagnosis well, and then we’re not staying there or having hours and hours of car drives, which is unsafe for Calvin with being in traffic.”
Walters said this has been some of the best flying he has ever done. For those pilots out there thinking about volunteering, he said they should at least just do one.
“I think once you do one and you start doing a few, you’ll find that the reward that you get is much greater than what people perceive you are putting out,” he said.
Hamm also said they will not regret it.
“I think they would love it, and you get to become part of the family,” she said. “I hope some day I can help them as much as they’ve helped me.”
Angel Flight has chapters across the country. To find your nearest chapter, click here.
