By Melissa Blewitt

Twelve-year-old Condobolin girl Pippa Wainwright travelled with her mother Sonia to Sydney to receive specialist care following a serious spinal injury sustained in a skiing accident.
She suffered compression fractures and ligament damage to her spine and has been referred to the spinal unit at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead for specialist assessment and treatment.
With specialist spinal care unavailable locally, Pippa and her mother turned to Little Wings for assistance with the journey from Condobolin to Sydney.
The flight reduced what would otherwise have been a five-hour road journey to around an hour, providing a vital link between their home in Condobolin and the specialist treatment available in Sydney.
The mission was funded by the Central West Charity Tractor Trek Group, which supports Little Wings’ work helping children and families from regional and remote communities access essential medical care.
Little Wings provides free aeromedical and ground transport for seriously ill children from regional and remote NSW who need to travel to specialist medical services that are not available in their local communities.
Pippa’s journey highlights the importance of specialist transport services for families living outside major centres, where accessing children’s specialist healthcare can involve lengthy travel.