Pull! Hauling an airplane to provide hope to patients across Canada

Haul for Hope event at the Edmonton International Airport on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (Matt Marshall/CTV News Edmonton)

A fundraising event in Edmonton Monday had participants pulling hard, enough to move a 30,390 kg airplane.

Haul for Hope has teams of 10 to 12 people racing against the clock to pull a WestJet Q400 a distance of 100 meters.

The teams competing also raise money for Hope Air, a registered charity that helps bring patients across Canada to get medical treatment.

"We help people who live in small, rural or remote parts of this country, or anyone who has to travel for specialized medical care that isn't available in their home community," Jon Collins, the chief development officer with Hope Air said.

"There's so many different types of specialized care that people need that they don't realize isn't available in their home community until the need strikes them and then they face the difficult question of how or if they can go."

One such patient was Adirenne Mahoney, who needed lifesaving treatment in Calgary.

"I've had a heart transplant in 2019 and unfortunately, I was having some organ rejection," Mahoney said. "I know for certain I would be in absolute financial dire straits without Hope Air helping me out.

"I look at the thousands upon thousands of dollars that I would have paid out of pocket, and not to mention, as a patient who's recovering, it's probably the last thing you should be worrying about. You should be focusing on your health."

Hope Air expects to help 4,000 people this year.

"When we support them, it's instant relief … (there) is a lot of people that say, without this, I may have foregone my treatment, or my local health center told me I had four weeks to live with the facilities they have," Collins said.

"Messages like that and moments like that are why you do the work and we're grateful to do it."

The fundraising goal for 2024 is $300,000.

"We're expecting to reach that total, and that's a significant lift at a time where we're facing a significant lift in demand, increased 140 per cent year over year last year, and now we've already set a new record for travel arrangements in a year," Collins said.

Haul for Hope is taking place in five cities across Canada this year.