Miracle Flights, an organization that provided free commercial flights to children and their families in need of life-changing medical care unavailable in their local communities, brought back SOARée just in time for its 40th-anniversary celebration.
This unique fundraiser took place on Friday, March 28th, at the luxurious and modern Thrive Aviation Private Jet Hangar.
Guests enjoyed cocktails, delicious hors d’oeuvres, and exciting entertainment fitting the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas.
At the end of the night, three lucky couples had the chance to win a lavish weekend in Sonoma County aboard their private jet, complete with exclusive accommodations, car service, and an unforgettable experience, all valued at $20,000. The plane departed immediately after the event.
This year’s SOARée honored former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones Blackhurst and a local Miracle Flights recipient, Asher.
Becky, Asher’s mother, expressed, “We were so grateful to Miracle Flights for giving Asher a better quality of life and helping him reach a point where his condition was no longer life-threatening. Words can never fully convey our gratitude for this honor and privilege as we celebrated Asher as Miracle Flights’ Child Ambassador of the Year.”
Asher was 18 months old when he received his first Miracle Flight to treat his Grade 4 Subglottic Stenosis, which caused a complete closure of his airway. This condition required him to depend on a tracheostomy. He traveled to Mass Eye and Ear in Boston, Massachusetts.
“We had just returned home to Vegas from Boston’s Mass Eye & Ear, a Harvard teaching hospital dedicated to eye, ear, nose, throat, head, and neck care,” noted Becky, Asher’s mother. “Our son had a bronchoscopy with an ENT who specialized in airway reconstruction. The entire experience, from start to finish, went perfectly. It was our first time flying with our medically complex baby, and we could not have asked for a better outcome. We received the news we had hoped for: Asher was a great candidate for airway reconstruction surgery. This would provide him with a safe airway and a voice. We had never heard Asher’s voice—not a single coo or babble; even when he cried, it was completely silent. We were so grateful for this opportunity to provide him with a better quality of life and to reach a point where his condition was no longer life-threatening. This would not have been possible without the assistance of Miracle Flights. Words could never fully express our gratitude.”
Asher had his airway reconstruction surgery on September 4th at Mass General in Boston, Massachusetts.
The surgery went well, with no complications. The surgeon successfully removed the rib cartilage and placed the rib graft in his airway, which took about four hours.
Since the surgery, Asher has tried new foods. On September 23rd, his mother shared a video titled “Look who has a voice!”
Miracle Flights continued to fly the family wherever they needed to go to get treatment.
