Modified Flight Plan - free

[jesse]

For those of you that aren't aware, our very own Brian Thomas, bnt83, wrote a book about his health struggles that nearly cost him his life, career, and ability to aviate. A less determined person would have simply given up, but instead, he pushed through it and continues to live his life.

Description of book:

Most sixteen year-old kids joyride in Daddy's pickup. Not Brian Thomas. Instead, you find him out buzzing the football team in Daddy's airplane. Flying is his life—it's in his blood. Both of his parents are pilots. His older brother is in the Air Force. And he can't imagine himself as anything but an aviator. That is, until the bleeding disorder he's battled since he was two years old sidelines him. After several failed chemotherapy treatments, Brian opts for a potentially disease-curing, but risky spleen removal. After more chemotherapy, he regains his flight status, but now he's left with an altered immune system.

In April of 2009, Brian leaves his job at Duncan Aviation, where he is an aviation mechanic, to go home with what he thinks is the flu. Four hours later, he is comatose and on life-support. His hands, feet, and face develop gangrene. Ten days later when he wakes up, he must face the prospect of becoming a quadruple amputee. Surgeons save his left hand, but he faces a long road to recovery, and regaining his life.

I've purchased 5 paper copies and would like to share them with fellow pilots. All I ask is that when you finish the book (preferably within a month) you mail it to the next pilot in this thread that would like to read it. If there are none you hand it off to another pilot you know.

If you'd like to read it (it's very good), post in this thread, and then PM me with your address and you'll have it in a few days (at no cost to you).

 

[Jim Logajan]

Bought the Kindle edition and read it on my iPad.

Very nice story. Main character seems unlikely to make the next list of candidates for canonization for sainthood, though. Then again, neither am I. (Yeah, I know Brian is going to read this.)

SPOILER ALERT

Do not read past this point if you don't want to see any content that gives things away.






Poor Bruce is merely mentioned as a nameless doctor in Illinois who specializes in special needs medical certification cases. On being contacted by email he responds within 15 minutes and is presented as being thorough and efficient.

Even though it is a bio of a real person, I couldn't help groaning with some humor when I saw a cliche used that everybody knows means things are about to get really bad:

"Life was about as good as it could get."

I can't remember the comedy movie where this cliche is taken to an extreme and everybody nearby is shaking their heads and grimacing at his sudden good fortune, knowing it means the guy isn't going to make it back from his mission.

Really don't know if it is Hollywood material. I suspect Hollywood wants to concentrate on the romantic aspect being the core of a happy ending, but this is real-life, not make believe, and I don't think many movie makers know how to shoot movies where the happy ending involves something other than a romance or the defeat of some bad guys.