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***image1***The Air Force Aid Society is here to help Airmen when money isn’t available to cover expenses during a crisis – whether it’s flying home for a funeral, paying sudden medical bills or helping stranded Airmen get to their duty stations.
For one KMC member, the AFAS made a difference.
Master Sgt. April Spiczka, U.S. Air Forces in Europe Operational Weather Squadron Contingency Operations Flight chief, was traveling from New Mexico to Mississippi during a 1998 PCS when her 2-year-old son, RJ, went into respiratory arrest.
Luckily, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, was the very next interstate exit, she said. After rendering emergency medical assistance, military doctors immediately transferred her son to local civilian hospital’s intensive care unit where doctors discovered that both his lungs had completely collapsed due to pneumonia.
“It was clear RJ’s condition was life-threatening and doctors advised he would have to remain in intensive care on a respirator for an unpredictable amount of time,” said the sergeant.
Meanwhile, the Dyess medical group commander contacted several base support agencies for help. The AFAS immediately stepped up, making lodging reservations and paying for her 10-day stay. The AFAS also arranged and paid for daycare for her eldest son, Nick, 5, so she could stay at the hospital.
“I didn’t ask for or do anything except take care of my critically ill son,” she said. “AFAS gave me some peace of mind during a period of extreme stress. I was truly afraid for his life.”
Once RJ was well enough to travel, the society paid for a voltage converter for breathing treatment equipment while in the car. The AFAS also provided $300 cash for food and expenses once they arrived.
Sergeant Spiczka estimates that the AFAS paid for more than $1,000 during her crisis.
Now, she donates money to the AFAS every year.
“Sometimes it takes an incident like this, something to really hit home before you realize how important and caring charitable organizations like AFAS are,” she said.
The AFAS is one of four charities sponsored by the Air Force Assistance Fund that provides assistance to Air Force families.
In 2004, the AFAS provided the KMC with $687,462 in assistance, including $216,179 in emergency assistance, $431,365 in education and $39,918 in community enhancement programs, said Capt. Derek Blough, the 2005 campaign coordinator here.
If the KMC reaches its goal of 100 percent contact and 50 percent participation, the AFAS will donate $2,500 to the Ramstein Family Support Center, he said. The AFAF campaign runs through April 15. For information on how to contribute, visit www.afassistancefund.org or call Captain Blough at 489-6088.
