[Click HERE for photos] On Thursday afternoon another first ever experience was carried out by the new chesed organization Kids of Courage. On a charter flight by Continental Airlines, “a flying hospital” traveled from Orlando to New York under the watchful eye of the Kids of Courage medical and counselor staff.

87 children and 135 staff spent an amazing fun filled week in Orlando, Florida with Kids of Courage, a fully volunteer chesed organization based in New York. The charter flight carried 18 children with in-flight oxygen and a wide variety of support medical treatments. The children were monitored by physicians, paramedics, critical care nurses and their thoughtful counselors. Several children were monitored by in-flight pulse oximetry to monitor their heart rates and oxygen saturation levels.

Prior to boarding, one of the children became acutely sick and a quick assessment was made by the medical staff headed up by co-founder Dr. Stuart Ditchek. It was decided that the child could fly with appropriate pre-medication as well as in-flight oxygen and emergency medications. Boruch Hashem, the child did beautifully and arrived home safely several hours later.

Kids of Courage is the only fully volunteer organization of its kind that welcomes the sickest children in the Jewish community to travel and summer programs where the level of medical supervision is of the highest standard anywhere in the world. Never before has an organization hosted 87 seriously sick children in an air travel and hotel setting. The group has been heralded by families, cooperating organizations and corporations as the leader in their field.

While in Orlando, Kids of Courage coordinated emergency care with Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Reedy Creek Fire Department and the Orlando Health Hospital system. Specialized flight preparations were made with Continental Airlines on a scale never previously achieved.

Glatt kosher and cholov yisrael meals including specialized diets were prepared by Lasko Family Kosher Tours at the beautiful International Plaza Resort and Spa. The hotel allowed for most rooms to be equipped with oxygen concentrators, feeding pumps and specialized bathroom adaptation including shower chairs and commodes. Co-founder and chief paramedic Howie Kafka, has created a safe system of travel and care that helped ensure the children’s safety as well as establishing a mobile infirmary. Ari Adlerstein, co-founder provided logistical, travel and entertainment arrangements as well all in accordance with strict Halacha.

Throughout the eight day trip over 5300 doses of medication were administered by the nursing staff of Kids of Courage which included four critical care nurses.

While the medical supervision by Kids of Courage has allowed it to become the leader in the field, the Kiddush Hashem being created by this group is dramatic. Kids of Courage is being recognized by both the secular and Jewish world as providing the largest scale program serving children from all the United States and Canada. Wherever they traveled greetings, tears and well wishes were offered by all that witnessed this event and trip. 

Visit their website at www.kidsoc.org