An Inspiration

By Dev Nair

Paulo loved flight and planes more than anyone else I know. He had such a love of flying that was clear that is what he was destined to do. At a time in school where nobody had any idea of the direction of their lives, Paulo was unique — aviation would be his path, and there was never any doubt.

I remember him talking about how he got interested in flying, fascinated by machines flying in the sky as a kid and awed by the pilots’ aura around the airport. That love stayed with him through high school. He tinkered with model planes, flew RC helicopters, oh and he had his pilot’s license before most people had their driver’s licenses. When I asked him how he managed to get the practice in order to pass the licensing exam, he said he didn’t want to spend the money for expensive hours of flying lessons. But he didn’t give up. He prepared by sitting in his room visualizing the aircraft controls from the manual, flicking imaginary switches, and going over the checklists and protocols over and over.

Paulo was a great example of how sustained perseverance and passion can lead to extraordinary results. After our time together in high school, he went on to continue his flight training at OSU, serving as a flight instructor and was well on his way to becoming a pilot. Then the diagnosis happened, but Paulo was ever determined. He was always positive and encouraged those around him to be positive despite the news. And with a truly herculean effort, Paulo was able to finish his coursework and graduated from OSU all while undergoing depleting chemotherapy treatment. His family fortunately was able to secure free flights to his out-of-state treatment, and he really enjoyed those flights sitting next to the pilot. Looking back, I am glad Paulo was able to continue his treatment and he still provided a positive spark in our lives through the troubling times.

In Paulo’s spirit, we aspire to bring the same level of passion and enthusiasm to Paulo’s Points and hope to provide many patients with transportation so they can access their treatment. We have already assisted several patients in Arkansas and are looking to serve many more in the future. Thank you to everyone who has supported us thus far, and we will continue to work on closing the gap so that anyone can get to his or her treatment anytime.