Miracle Flights honors Bank of Nevada president for service

Gaynor donates pilot time to nonprofit organization

Miracle Flights for Kids honored John Gaynor, chief executive officer, president and vice chairman of the board of Bank of Nevada, with its annual Award for Excellence in Service.

Miracle Flights for Kids is a national nonprofit organization that provides ill children and their families with flights to hospitals and specialty clinics, which they might otherwise not be able to afford. Miracle Flights for Kids was locally founded in 1985 by Ann McGee, who is currently serving as president. The organization will fly the children wherever they need to go throughout the country, as often as they need to, for follow-up exams, provided sufficient funds and/or pilots are available.

There are approximately 500 pilots who volunteer their skills, time and aircrafts to transport young patients. Although, if a volunteer pilot is not available or the distance is too great, commercial flights are booked.

There are a few requirements that need to be met in order to be eligible for a flight. Such requirements include that the child must be able to board the plane unassisted -- the organization does not fly children that require a stretcher for transportation -- and the family must provide personal financial information to ensure the services are indeed necessary.

"I donate my time, services and plane at no expense," Gaynor said. "I fly (the children) to receive their treatment services."

Being involved with the charity on a more personal level is one of the highlights for Gaynor.

"There are a lot of very worthwhile charities to donate to," Gaynor said. "And it makes you feel good to write a check, but you don't see it go anywhere. With Miracle Flights, I don't just write a check, but the payoff comes from the parents who have tears in their eyes because their children received the treatment they needed." Gaynor had his first experience flying an aircraft when he served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. He received his private pilot's license in 1990 and began flying for Miracle Flights for Kids at that time.

The Spanish Trail resident said he flies for the organization approximately once every three months, when his schedule permits. "I try to jockey my schedule around, so I can," Gaynor said. "Most flights locally consist of going to Provo, Utah; San Diego and L.A."

"We support a lot of fundraising efforts," Gaynor said. "My being a pilot served no real role in us being honored. It was the bank as a whole." The bank supplies the organization with its banking needs as well. Bank of Nevada also is actively of help to Opportunity Village's Magical Forest, where Gaynor dresses in a Santa Claus costume.

McGee said Gaynor and the bank support Miracle Flights for Kids in an outstanding way.

"We love John and the Bank of Nevada," McGee said. "We wanted to let them know how much we appreciate them. Everyone there just bends over backwards for us."

Gaynor also said the impact these flights have on the child and parents cannot be underestimated. "To some families it literally means the difference between whether their child lives or dies," he said.

Rosa Waitman's daughter, Annelise, was a recipient of a miracle flight. Waitman explained that Annelise suffered from numerous health problems from birth, including heart and vision ailments.

"We knew there was something wrong," Waitman said. "We just didn't know what the condition or diagnosis was."

Annelise was born with the ailments in 1999, and her parents were uncertain of her condition until March 2004 when she was flown to Children's Hospital Boston by Miracle Flights for Kids.

"Annelise was diagnosed with Noonan syndrome," Waitman said. "And we met doctor Noonan."

Noonan syndrome is a genetic disorder that results in abnormal development of several parts of the body. A few of the more common abnormalities include congenital heart disease, webbing of the neck, and pectus excavatum, a condition in which the sternum is shrunken and the chest appears to be concave. Approximately 25 percent of those diagnosed with Noonan syndrome also suffer from mild mental retardation.

Waitman said Annelise is doing very well, all thanks to Miracle Flights for Kids.

"She's a very happy child, and kids just have so much courage, it keeps the parents going," she said. "We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to Miracle Flights and Debi (Bedell, public information officer) and the whole staff. They helped us find answers and helped us to generate better questions through the answers. God bless them."