At just 11 years old, Callie Mae from Mississippi has endured more medical battles than many face in a lifetime, but you’d never know it from her radiant smile. Known for her unshakable spirit, warmth, and the way she makes instant friends wherever she goes, Callie brings sunshine to every hospital hallway she walks down.

Callie was born with pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS), a rare and progressive condition in which the veins that carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart become narrowed or blocked. According to the National Institutes of Health, PVS is both life-threatening and notoriously difficult to treat, often requiring highly specialized care and frequent interventions to maintain heart and lung function.

For Callie, that’s meant five open-heart surgeries and 21 cardiac catheterizations. Each procedure is a critical step in her journey, restoring her breath, her energy, and her ability to simply be a kid again—to run, to laugh, and to live fully.

But getting to that care wasn’t always possible.

“Without the help of Miracle Flights,” her mother shares, “we wouldn’t have been able to get to Boston, where there’s a dedicated program for children with pulmonary vein stenosis. Our hospital at home had exhausted all options. Boston didn’t promise us a cure, but they said they would try. And that was everything.”

Thanks to Miracle Flights, Callie and her family have been able to travel regularly to Boston Children’s Hospital, one of the nation’s leading centers for pediatric cardiology and pulmonary vascular care. For the past three years, every flight has been fully covered, lifting the financial burden so Callie can receive the care that helps her breathe easier, walk farther, and thrive.

“Every cath is like opening her lungs and heart back up,” her mom explains. “She can breathe again. Her color improves. She walks farther and doesn’t need to be carried as much. She’s just Callie again.”

The transformation after each visit is unmistakable. Her eyes shine brighter, her laughter rings louder, and her energy returns with full force. It’s a testament to the difference access makes when barriers to care are removed and hope takes flight.

Her family doesn’t take a single moment for granted.

“There’s no telling what Callie Mae’s life would be like without Miracle Flights,” her mom says. “Because of them, she gets to keep living. She gets to keep being a kid. And for that, we are forever thankful.”

At Miracle Flights, we’re honored to be part of Callie’s journey, a story of courage, connection, and unyielding hope. Behind every miracle is a child with a future worth fighting for. And behind every child is a community that helps them soar.