A Flight Lost, A Flight Gained: Lakewood Company Steps Up To Fly Beachwood Twins Home

BEACHWOOD, NJ — A Beachwood family that is trying to get its infant twin sons home to New Jersey has had to delay the babies' homecoming after transportation plans with one nonprofit fell apart.

Ty Krean and his wife, Sue Morales, were hoping to bring Wyatt and Holden Krean back from Texas Children's Hospital in Houston this weekend, family friend Melissa Decker said Friday. But now the family is scrambling to get everything in place for the boys and Sue to fly home with another organization that has stepped up to help out.

Grace on Wings, the nonprofit organization that provides medical flights for patients who cannot travel by commercial airlines, notified the family this week that it would not be able to fly the boys home this weekend because its medical director had not approved the flight, said Shelli, a registered nurse who helps oversee the process. Shelli, who declined to give her last name, said they have "very strict guidelines" for the flights.

At that point, Krean said, he reached out to Sim Shain, president of Paraflight EMS, an air medical transport company, who had contacted him previously to see if the family needed assistance.

"He stepped right up," Krean said.

Shain, a Lakewood resident who works as a paramedic for MONOC, also volunteers with the Lakewood Hatzollah and is a life member with the Howell Township Volunteer EMS squad, said he had contacted Krean after someone forwarded him links to articles about the Kreans' fundraising quest.

"We weren't sure what they needed at that point," Shain said, "but when he called back and said everything had fallen apart, we absolutely wanted to help."

"It's our privilege to be able to give back," Shain said. Paraflight EMS will be sending a private jet from Teterboro to Houston with a team that will include two doctors, including one from Newark Beth Israel where the babies are being transferred to; two paramedics and a critical care ICU nurse, he said. Once the babies are transferred to the plane, they will flight back to Teterboro, where two Hatzollah ambulances will meet the plane and transfer the babies to Newark Beth Israel. Shain said Dr. Mark Merlin, who is head of the emergency room at Newark Beth Israel, is coordinating efforts at the hospital to prepare for the babies' arrival.

"It's going to be a 16-hour day," Shain said. But it's important to him. "I'm passionate about EMS and I'm passionate about flying. We've done a lot of medical escorts (of people in need)."

"What you give is what you get," Shain said. He said a competitor, Vital One, offered its assistance as well. "I really appreciated that," he said.

Shain is providing the services of all of the medical personnel at no cost; the Kreans must cover the cost of the private jet, which is roughly $23,000.

The $17,000 that had been donated to Grace on Wings is being refunded directly to the donors by Grace on Wings, because of IRS rules. Decker said those who donated by credit or debit card will see the money refunded directly to their accounts. Checks that were sent as donations were not cashed and are being destroyed, she said.

Shelli said Grace on Wings had offered to postpone the flight until its medical director approved it, but delaying the flight created complications for the family: Sue Morales had been booked on a commercial flight home, as she was not going to be able to travel with the boys on the Grace on Wings flight, Decker said. And Sue's family leave is running out: she must return to work in her job in the Toms River Regional School District by early December to maintain her medical benefits.

Krean said there was another concern: Grace on Wings told them that if either baby suffered an emergency in flight, the plane would land at the closest hospital to get treatment. "We didn't want them to be in the middle of nowhere," he said.

Bringing the twins home by Paraflight EMS will allow Sue to fly with the babies, Ty Krean said. Additionally, he said Shain told him the flight will have not only Merlin and a neonatal intensive care nurse on board, the flight also will have a paramedic and other emergency medical personnel. If anything happens on board, they will be equipped to deal with it right then, he said.

An exact date for the return has not been set yet as they work out all the logistics and paperwork.

"This is a little more expensive, but it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise," Krean said.

The boys have made great strides since they were born May 4 at 24 weeks' gestation, Krean said. Wyatt, who weighed 3 pounds at birth, now weighs more than 11 pounds, and Holden, who weighed just over a pound, is now 9 pounds, 1 ounce. The happiness over the twins' improvement comes with the sadness of knowing Sawyer, their triplet brother, did not survive. He died about two weeks after the babies were born, Krean said.

Decker said that as word has gotten out about the last-minute changes, more than $8,000 has been donated to cover the cost of the new flight. That leaves about $15,000 to be raised. Those who donated to the Grace on Wings flight who wish to donate to cover the new flight can donate directly to the GoFundme account that was set up when the babies were born.

The situation has been extremely stressful, Krean said, but the family is eternally grateful for the support they've received from the community.

"I don't know how we'll ever be able to pay that back," Krean said. "We'll just be trying to pay it forward."

To contribute to the GoFundme campaign, click here.

Sue Morales and her twin sons, Wyatt and Holden Krean, hope to be back in New Jersey soon. Photo provided by Ty Krean