NC veteran, family stuck in Hawaii now home thanks to strangers' generosity, medical group
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Good news on the Johnston County veteran and his family after their dream vacation to Hawaii turned into a medical nightmare. PJ Smith is finally back home in North Carolina after being hospitalized in Hawaii since April.
ABC11 Eyewitness News was there to capture exclusive video of the moment the air ambulance carrying PJ and several medical professionals arrived at RDU Wednesday morning.
This was all possible after PJ's wife, Ellen, reached out to ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson last week. She contacted Troubleshooter after their dream April vacation ended with PJ getting sick and having to stay in the hospital. The family then learned they didn't have enough insurance to cover his return via a medical plane back to NC.
After being in Honolulu for three months, PJ was finally well enough to return home.
He and medical professionals took a Delta flight from Honolulu to Atlanta overnight, and then an air ambulance from Atlanta to RDU.
The entire flight was paid for by the generosity of strangers who saw the ABC11 story, and a company called 'Air Medical Group', owned by a Fayetteville native.
"I know that, given the circumstances, everything went smoothly. He was a fighter. He's strong. So it was a smooth trip. He's elated. His wife can't wait to get home tomorrow with his son. Now, the whole family is happy just to be back in North Carolina."
Ellen says she's very grateful for all the support to get 'PJ' home. He's now at a rehabilitation center in Durham. Ellen and her son have flights out of Hawaii on Wednesday.
Kindness of Strangers
Last Tuesday, Ellen Ennis Smith tearfully told ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson they were desperate to get her husband, PJ Smith, back to the Triangle after being hospitalized in Honolulu since April.
Despite having travel insurance, the cost for a medical transport through her travel insurance $139,900, and the travel insurance only covered $50,000. Smith said their private insurance would not cover the cost of air transport. At the time, Smith told Wilson, "I have to leave him in Hawaii, and that hurts my heart." Smith started an online fundraiser, and donations poured in from family, friends, and complete strangers. Donations now total more than $90,000. Smith adds, "There is no way I can ever repay the kindness, it's just overwhelming, but I'm so, so appreciative."
Smith's heartache also caught Joe Gonzales, a Fayetteville natives' attention. Gonzales said to Wilson, "My sister, who's a loving and caring person she reached out to me and said, 'Hey, look, this came across social media. This is something that is right up your alley. Is this something you can help with?' So, we took the opportunity to review his case. We spoke with his wife about his situation and learned all the details of how long they've been there, what his medical condition is."
While Gonzales grew up in Fayetteville and worked with the North Carolina Office of EMS in Raleigh and ABC11 back in the early nineties, he now owns and is the CEO of Air Medical Group, which provides medical flight services to people around the world. "We felt very compelled to at least try and so we took a look at the situation, and we said, this is somebody that we feel like we can help, you know, and we are from North Carolina, originally, it's always going to stay in my blood. So, we were glad to take a look at the situation and extend our hand out," he added.
Smith said Gonzales and another medical flight company reached out to help transport PJ home, and she was so grateful. She added, "Willing to donate resources and time saying, we're going we're going to get him home and so I reached out to travel insurance and said I've got people that want to help, and they wouldn't even talk to them and they're like we're not going to work with them."
Frustrated, but still determined to get PJ home, Smith said, "I will still fight the insurance to help them step up and do what they should have done, but right now is not the time. Right now, my time is getting my husband home, and because of the graciousness of strangers and friends, and family, that is happening."
Smith said PJ talked with Gonzales from his hospital bed on the phone and wanted his crew to transport him home. "He found out Joe had been in Fayetteville, that's where PJ is from, I think he just felt a connection," Smith added. Gonzales worked with PJ's medical team in Hawaii to coordinate getting PJ ready to fly home.
Gonzales said, "The hospital worked very diligently with us. My medical staff and medical director to sort of employ some things that would help out, you know, during the trip. From a logistical standpoint, medical standpoint, and allow us to safely transport him back." When Smith told PJ the flight was scheduled, she said PJ, a former Air Force pilot, was so thankful. She adds, "He goes, 'Well, I'm going to fly the plane home.' and I'm like, no, I don't think you can baby but, in his mind, he will fly that plane home and, but he is very excited to get home and be back in North Carolina."
Two medical professionals from Air Medical Group arrived in Honolulu on Monday and checked in with PJ and his medical team and got the go-ahead for the medical escort back to the Triangle. Tuesday, PJ and the two medical professionals from Air Medical Group depart Honolulu on a commercial flight that allows medical transport and will fly into Atlanta. Gonzales added, "Then from Atlanta, we will transfer him to an air ambulance where we will fly him up to Raleigh. So, we've got those moving parts that all come together to get him to Raleigh."
Smith said none of this would be possible without Gonzales and his team, and everyone who donated to their online fundraiser. She adds, "I am so grateful from the bottom of my soul. There's no way to say thank you enough, there's none." Gonzales says he was thankful it all worked out.
Ellen and her son Geoffrey are scheduled to leave Hawaii on a flight on Wednesday. Ellen says they are all looking forward to being home after being in Hawaii since April. She says any money left over in the online fundraiser will go towards the mounting medical bills. "After insurance pays, you still have 20% and 20% of $800,000 to 900,000 because you spent three months at a hospital, it's still going to add up. So I will make sure that those things are provided for PJ so he can be successful when he gets home."
