One Less Burden

Parents grateful for nonprofit that covers travel expenses for kids that need treatment

khou | Author: Xavier Walton | Published: 10:14 PM CST February 28, 2022 | Updated: 10:34 PM CST February 28, 2022

“Children’s Flight of Hope helps more than 1,000 kids every year. The nonprofit provides flights for them to get the life-saving treatment they need.”

HOUSTON — Zeke Newberry is a normal 11-year-old boy, but he's had to handle situations in his young life that are far from normal. "I like to read and write and play basketball," Zeke said.

Houston has become a second home for Zeke, who's battling a rare form of brain cancer. He needs lifesaving treatment at Texas Children's Hospital to beat it.

"Zeke was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 3 and we went through multiple surgeries locally, chemotherapy, and so we reached a point where we had to go beyond what we could do here," Zeke's dad, Derek Newberry, said. "We were connected with a clinical trial in Houston."

For two years the family has flown from Florida to Houston every four weeks.

"So, you think about everything that goes with pediatric cancer and just working your way through that. On top of that, we have flights, many, many flights, to Houston as part of that," Derek said.

That's where Children's Flight of Hope enters the equation.

"If the families can't get to the care, it might as well not exist," Executive Director of Children's Flight of Hope Pat Nelli said. Thanks to donors, the nonprofit can fund hundreds of flights for families. "She said, 'I've been driving from North Dakota to Houston and I have no money in my bank account,'" Nelli said. "We fly for their lives, and that's exactly what we're doing."

"It's one less worry for our family," Derek said. "One less burden on top of us." Children's Flight of Hope helps more than 1,000 kids each year. Right now, the nonprofit is operating in 48 states and 25 countries around the world.