East Meadow Couple Takes Volunteering to New Heights

Warren and Lori Hoffman are taking their volunteer efforts to new heights, donating their own plane and car to help transport medical patients in need to and from local airports to medical treatment centers all over the northeast United States.

The East Meadow couple donates their time, fuel and expertise for PALS (Patient AirLift Services), a non-profit organization that arranges free air and ground transportation based on need to individuals requiring medical care.

"PALS is a wonderful organization," Warren said. "The organization has a network of volunteer pilots and auto pilots who provide this service without compensation, using their own aircraft and never is there a fee charged of any kind for the individuals who utilize the service."

Patients typically include those undergoing chemotherapy or other treatments; people who must avoid public places and confined spaces because of immunodeficiencies; those too weak or fragile to endure long waits and delays at commercial airports; and wounded military personnel and their families.

Typical flight times range from two to three hours per leg, covering 200 to 600 miles, according to PALS. Hoffman, a licensed FAA pilot since 2005, owns his own airplane, a Beach Sierra, which is based at Republic Airport in Farmingdale.

"I transport patients in my airplane, volunteering my airplane, fuel, time and expertise," he said. "I either fly the patient from a local airport where they live to another airport, often in other states, when they receive medical care or, on other occasions, I might return a patient who received medical care to their home airport."

In October, Warren flew a patient from Richmond, Virginia to Republic Airport who needed cancer treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York City.

"The patient actually lived in Georgia and another pilot flew him from Georgia to North Carolina and then another pilot flew him from North Carolina to Virginia and I flew him from Virginia to Republic Airport," he said.

Lori, an approved "auto" pilot for PALS, then drove the patient to New York City for treatment once he landed at Republic Airport.

She too uses her own fuel, time and expertise and often drives patients either from their home to the airport for a PALS pilot to fly the patient to another destination or sometimes drives the patient from the airport to the medical facility for treatment.

"It is a true joint family effort that benefits so many needy and ill people," Warren said.

Jacqueline Pecora, PALS director of development and marketing, said the Hoffmans are an amazing couple with huge hearts. "Our mission of arranging free air transportation for medical, compassionate and humanitarian reasons is large and people like the Hoffmans make our job of connecting patients to pilots easier!" she said.