Air Force Maj. Dan Campbell and his wife Heather experienced many uncertainties when their 9-year-old son, Isaiah, was diagnosed with a subglottic stenosis, or narrowing of the airway which would require a major surgery. Stationed in remote Alaska, they wondered how to keep the family together for the nearly 2,500-mile journey for his medical care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe only thing that is constant for us is us,\u201d Heather said. \u201cOur location changes, whether daddy is home changes, our friends, church, our community, everything about our life is transient. The only thing that is constant is the ability of the five of us to be together.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mom of three, Heather explained how important it was for them to be together as a family during Isaac\u2019s surgery and how imperative she felt it was to his recovery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, flights from Eielson Airforce Base Alaska to Tacoma, Washington are costly. The Campbells were able to use patient travel to cover the cost of one parent and their son, but that would leave one parent and their two other children behind. That\u2019s when Hero Miles stepped in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fisher House Foundation\u2019s Hero Miles program provides round-trip airline tickets to wounded, injured or ill service members and\/or their families who are undergoing treatment at a military or VA medical center. These flights are made possible through frequent flyer mile donations made by generous individual airline passengers. Since the program began in 2004, Hero Miles has provided over 50,000 tickets to military families like the Campbells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe home stress is very high trying to prepare for a move, and I have a son who can\u2019t speak for two months,\u201d Heather said. \u201cThe process of working with Fisher House Foundation and the Hero Miles Program was the only smooth part. It was so simple, and it was done for me. It was the one thing I could take off my brain space so that I could focus on caring for my son.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two months later, Isaiah now has his full voice back and Heather says she is happy to have some of the family chaos back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWatching the kids play together in the hospital playroom while Isaiah recovered, that was the best moment. Knowing we were all able to be together,\u201d Heather said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heather has shared her Hero Miles story on social media to help other military spouses and families find support as well as encourage others to support the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWords cannot express my gratitude or convey the burden Hero Miles lifted during my stressful time. Being together meant everything to my family.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more about the Hero Miles at https:\/\/fisherhouse.org\/programs\/hero-miles\/<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":110978,"menu_order":0,"template":"single-native-legacy","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"11"},"advertiser":[3455],"class_list":["post-80984","native","type-native","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","advertiser-fisher-house-foundation"],"acf":{"subheadline":"Story by Rachel Hill","legacy_arc_id":"YQ5OVNVBKBGQZLABGF4CM7T6ZA","arc_canonical_url":"\/native\/fisher-house-foundation\/2026\/04\/02\/hero-miles-supports-family-in-time-of-crisis\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"native-layout","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n