Cancer patient Bonnie Black receives ‘beautiful’ act of kindness in time for Christmas
A Charters Towers woman battling cancer has received an incredible Christmas gift, courtesy of a Townsville pilot and the charity he supports. Find out how it all came together.
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A Charters Towers woman battling an aggressive form of blood-cancer is urging everyone to support a charitable organisation that moved heaven and earth to get her home in time for Christmas.
Bonnie Black, who was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in May of last year, found her world up-ended after she was forced to fight the disease just months after marrying her husband Adam.
The couple, who spent their first year of married life together searching for a suitable donor, were buoyed by the news that a match had been found.
“I was in Brisbane around Christmas for a transplant work-up. I’m getting the transplant now, but my cancer’s still there, so they’ve had to cancel it for now,” Ms Black said.
“I’d come down for the procedures with the Royal Flying Doctors, who are just amazing.”
Unfortunately for Ms Black, she was left with no choice but to go on a commercial flight on her journey back home, and with her immune system severely compromised by the chemotherapy and other treatments, that was deemed too dangerous.
“The social worker at the Leukaemia House, they helped me reach out to this group Angel Flight.
“I called them at 5.30pm on the day before Christmas Eve and got a reply from them at 9pm that night telling me to be at the airport.”
Angel Flight, run completely on donations, helps people who live in remote regions and are suffering from illness travel to and from treatment.
The pilot who intervened to help get Bonnie home, Rodney Battle, flew from Townsville at 6am that morning in his own plane in order to get Bonnie home in time to enjoy Christmas.
He said it was ‘the least he could do’.
“I’ve had a pretty good life and people who need help out west, Mt Isa, Hughenden, it shouldn’t be any harder for them to get where they need to be than it is for anyone else,” Mr Battle said.
“Angel Flight is a great organisation, they don’t get enough credit for what they do.”
That’s something Bonnie, who had to hold back tears as she explained what the trip meant to her, agrees with.
“Rodney even drove us to our car and everything, it was just absolutely incredible,” Ms Black said.
“It was just beautiful. I can’t thank them all enough. What they do is so incredible. I don’t think they get enough recognition.
“If you need their help, just reach out to them. If anyone’s looking for a great charity to donate to, it would definitely be them.”
Ms Black said she wanted to thank Mr Battle and everyone at Angel Flight for the ‘incredible act of kindness’ they’d delivered to her and her husband.
Anyone interested in supporting Bonnie during her battle can do so via her GoFundMe page. They can also support Angel Flight via donation.
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Originally published as Cancer patient Bonnie Black receives ‘beautiful’ act of kindness in time for Christmas
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