Many parents find themselves in the position of needing to travel so that their child can receive the quality care and treatment that they need. while it may sound daunting and expensive, there are many options for low cost travel and lodging available to parents.
The first hurdle for almost every parent in this situation is understanding that you CAN do this, and there IS a way for you to sort out the things that make it seem like you can't possibly travel with all the hardships it might cause for you and your family.
The following are suggestions and advice for traveling. We welcome any and all suggestions and advice and are happy to accept any ideas that we can add to this page. Email us with your ideas!
talk to the doctor's staff or nurse!.
Your doctor's staff or nurse should be your first step. And they are often the very best source for information about local accomodations, transportation, and information about what to expect from your visit.
Write down all your questions before you call, and make sure to ask them all. Take good notes.
Often they will know about discounts available to patients for lodging near the clicnic, or they can help you find free accomodations such as Ronald McDonald House or other lodging specificcally for parents and children who need a place to stay while receiving care.
These folks are used to helping parents who are in your very same position. They know how important this is for you and will do all they can to help you make it happen.
If they can't help you with all the arrangements you need, ask them how you can find more resources.
Ask if there are other parents you can reach out to for advice and information about the travel experience (give permission for them to contact you as well).
Getting there - Driving or Flying?.
Many parents drive hundreds or thousands of miles to reach quality Ponseti Method care for their children. There really is no limit, however needing to travel 12+ hours by car or more is not exactly uncommon, depending on your location. Often parents can reach a qualified provider in less than 6 hours, and most will only have to travel 2-4 hours from home.
Parents also fly commercial airlines, take trains, buses or even small flights. If a long drive isn't something you are able to do (it's not exactly simple, with an infant), consider flying. If you can not afford a commercial flight, consider the links below to several medical charity flight organizations.
While traveling may seem daunting, difficult, expensive, and downright impossible, there are many ways to make this happen. Your child deserves every chance to have a fully functional and pain free foot for a lifetime. Finding and getting to see a doctor who can help your child is important and can be done.
Charity medical flights.
There are a number of charity medical flight organizations that help parents get to where they need to go for quality medical treatment. There are some sources for local flights outside of the US, however this is more commonly available in the US and Canada.
This page has a master listing of medical flight services - U.R. Our Hope Medical Flights Free
Flights and/or road travel assistance
Mercy Medical Angels removes the barrier to medical care with transportation on the ground with gas cards, bus and train tickets and in the air with flights flown by volunteer pilots and the commercial airlines.
Flight Only travel assistance
Miracle Flights provides free commercial airline flights for patients 17 and younger who have an appointment, are cleared to fly commercial, and the family qualifies financially with their very generous guidelines.
Angel Flight West arranges transportation only within the 12 Western states, including Alaska and Hawaii. Due to the limited range of the aircraft flown by Angle Flight West pilots, flights are limited to 1,000 miles in each direction.
Angel Flight Oklahoma is a non-profit charitable organization of pilots, volunteers, and friends serving Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas. They will arrange free air transportation for any legitimate, charitable, medically related need.
Angel Flight Central serves people in need by arranging charitable flights for health care or other humanitarian purposes. They serve Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana."
Air Charity Network serves all 50 states and its volunteer pilots utilize their own aircraft, fuel and time to provide free air transportation to medical facilities for citizens who are financially distressed or otherwise unable to travel on public transportation.
Southwest Airlines Medical Transportation Grant Program provides round trip tickets to nonprofit hospitals and medical transportation organizations lessening the financial burden on patients and their families when travel is required for specialized lifesaving or life-changing medical care.
Children’s Flight of Hope (CFOH) provides flights to essential, life-changing, and life-saving medical care for children in need.
Patient AirLift Services is a nonprofit that arranges free flights for medical patients requiring medical diagnosis, treatment or follow-up who cannot afford or are unable to fly commercially.
Wings Flights of Hope Inc.
helps people in need of free air transportation for medical and humanitarian purposes.
New Zealand
Uplift in Kind
Paley Institute Housing Assistance
UnLIMBited Foundation is a nonprofit organization based out of West Palm Beach, Florida. Their mission is to ease the financial burden by
providing financial aid for housing, for qualifying families, while their children are being treated at The Paley Orthopedic and Spine Institute. The unLIMBited Foundation is a collaboration of passion inspired by Tommy Morrissey and a strategic partnership with the orthopedic surgeons at the world renowned Paley Orthopedic & Spine Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida.
what about my other kids?.
You can find childcare for your other children, and there are free or low cost transportation solutions that can help.
As it is said, "where there's a will, there's a way". The following resources can help.
Travel to Paley Institute Dr. Matthew Dobbs Clubfoot Clinic.
Hi Everyone!
My name is Christina and my husband and I have a vacation short term rental on Singer Island in Riviera Beach that is perfect for Paley families looking for longer stay accommodation options. The campus is only 5 minutes from the cottage.
We love hosting Paley families because you all are so lovely, and hope you consider our rental when exploring options, as we are happy to offer significantly discounted nightly rates based on length of stay for Paley families.
Clubfoot Kiddo Cabin in Riviera Beach
Current availability (the calendar on VRBO is always up to date too!)
April 6-May 16, 2024
May 19 - June 11, 2024
July 5 - December 20, 2024
The house is located on beautiful and beachy Singer Island, is 2 bedrooms, 2 bath, sleeps six, has a private backyard pool for aqua therapy, and has a fully fenced in and hedged backyard, making it the perfect oasis for recovery. In addition, the house is entirely one floor, including the entrance at the front, aside from one step down in the sunroom and one in the guest room shower.
Please reach out to me at alwaysmorsesunshine@gmail.com or text and/or call at 703-606-5943. We are a local family and look forward to making you feel right at home during your time in Palm Beach county
