Family receives free plane ride to Philly to help sick son

UNIVERSITY CITY (WPVI) -- A family from Portland, Maine arrived in Philadelphia Thursday for medical treatment at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, thanks to a generous pilot.

Justin and Melissa Hagar are trying to help their one-year-old son Will.

He suffers from a rare, genetic disease - a form of Leukodystrophy that robs him of normal brain development.

The boy's 400-mile trip today was made a lot easier, thanks to the Patient Airlift Services charity.

A volunteer pilot gave the Hagars a free ride on a private plane to the North Philly Jet Center.

"To have this opportunity pop up with a plane ride that takes a fraction of the time and quite frankly, he got out of the plane smiling and happy as compared to being really upset, it's huge. It's huge," Justin said.

Mark Hanson was the pilot of today's flight.

He's been helping families like the Hagars for seven years.

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