Young Lake Grace boy transported to cerebral palsy treatment by innovative Fly2 Foundation healthcare service

A new health service flew a young Lake Grace boy to Perth for diplegic cerebral palsy treatment, marking its first stages of revolutionising regional healthcare. The new Fly2 Foundation gifted their first flight to Frankie McKenzie, who was transported from his Lake Grace home to Royal Perth Hospital on August 6 at 8.30am and returned at 7pm. Diagnosed with level two spastic diplegia cerebral palsy at two years old, Frankie has made the seven-hour round trip to Perth for botox treatment, rehabilitation, muscle check-ups, and recovery sessions his whole life. The family of five must pay for fuel and accommodation for their three-day journey and have missed school, work, and time with Frankie’s two older brothers. The Fly2 Foundation — an extension of Fly2health — formed in June and advertised its new service to existing patients like Frankie. The foundation is dedicated to equity in rural WA healthcare and flies patients from regional locations, free of charge, to metro hospitals for non-urgent medical needs. Frankie’s mother Symone McKenzie said regional healthcare is “lacklustre” and Frankie would be forced to go without treatments when they couldn’t make the long journey. “I could not tell you how grateful I am for a service like Fly2 Foundation,” she said. “It’s so heartwarming that someone wants to provide this service for people who live in regional and remote areas. “Frankie thought it was absolutely wonderful and he couldn’t believe he was going on a plane to Perth.” Fly2 Foundation board member Adrian Munro said they’re devoted to serving the rural community because they are the backbone of the State’s economy and must be supported. “WA has challenges in healthcare no other State or country encounters because people live thousands of kilometres away from tertiary hospitals,” he said. “The main goal is to decrease the barrier for regional West Australians accessing healthcare in Perth because we don’t want people to go without. “There’s a significant need in regional communities for people to access health services and it’s another thing to attract people to country regions.” Mr Munro said easy accessibility to world-class healthcare in WA should be a human right and the foundation needs funding from the government to continue serving the community.