Josh Marsh was needed in the sky.
The 50-year-old business executive would have to cancel Mother’s Day plans, again, to help patients commute to life-saving treatment.
That weekend in May, Marsh said he spent over 13 hours flying small passenger airplanes to and from Chicago. Neither of the two passengers could receive adequate care near their homes, he said, and commercial travel was a huge burden on both families.
“I spent years just doing circles around the airport,” Marsh said. “But not really doing anything that felt like I had a real purpose.”
Marsh has flown 38 compassion flights since joining LifeLine Pilots in 2024. He said he tries to do one at least once a month (or whenever there’s free time in between parenting and overseeing client experience for a software company).
What is LifeLine Pilots?
Founded in 1981, LifeLine Pilots is a nonprofit helping patients overcome transportation barriers for medical treatment. The Midwest-based organization has flown over 12,000 flights and covered more than 6 million miles, according to a June 2025 report.
Marsh is one of the nearly 370 pilots with LifeLine Pilots. Together, they form a coalition of aviators who donate time (and fuel) into making the lives of others just a little bit easier.
Most of Marsh’s flights have been to help people get specialized care when commercial flights are difficult or unsafe, he said. In late 2024, he said he flew a father of three to New York City for brain cancer treatments. The father had been regularly taking 737s for treatment, but the flights straining an increasingly tight budget.
LifeLine Pilots also helps people who aren’t patients through humanitarian flights, Marsh said. He flew a man from Indiana to Nashville to visit his dying father, and the organization sometimes assists in hurricane recovery efforts.
Marsh said his mom wasn’t too upset about either Mother’s Day cancellation. She understands the importance of his work, he said. Plus, he’s made up for it by taking her flying on his own.
“It makes her feel like a celebrity,” Marsh said.
LifeLine Pilots partners with hospitals
Marsh said LifeLine Pilots is an organization that remains relatively unknown.
He facilitates conversations between hospital networks and the organization to bridge the gap of awareness, he said.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Nationwide Children’s Hospital now directly refer patients to LifeLine Pilots because of Marsh’s introductions. He’s in talks with the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, he said.
He also has presented the work to members of his flying club in Butler County, recruiting one of them.
“When you fly a child that is suffering from something that they should not be suffering from,” he said, “it makes a mark.”
Do I qualify for a LifeLine Pilots flight?
If you have a medical or humanitarian need far from home and are comfortable boarding a 4-to-6-passenger aircraft, you may be able to fly with LifeLine.
LifeLine has flown the same passenger multiple times. One passenger with stage three degree cancer took over 30 no-cost flights with the organization in a year, according to a nonprofit report.
You’ll be expected to provide a doctor’s name and fax number, according to the nonprofit, so it can reach out for a physician’s release form.
Anyone with questions can message missions@lifelinepilots.org or 800-822-7972.
How can I fly for LifeLine Pilots?
Marsh said he acts as a mentor for Ohio pilots interested in flying with the nonprofit.
He said the experience has given him excuses to fly to areas he normally wouldn’t and allowed him to become a better pilot.
Pilots interested in learning more about compassion flights should visit lifelinepilots.org/pilot-information/mission-mentors/.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Volunteer pilot helps patients reach lifesaving care
Reporting by Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
