CareFlight celebrates 25 years
May 21--TUPELO -- For Brunson Odom, being a pilot for North Mississippi Medical Center's CareFlight was all about family.
While he flew the medical helicopter from 1988 to 2000, the CareFlight office became a second home to his daughters; his co-workers became like brothers and sisters; and he cared for the patients and their families like they were his own.
The CareFlight program celebrated its 25th anniversary on Sunday, and Odom and his wife, Carolyn, their daughters Erica Odom, Adrian Anne Smith and Amanda Howell, and three of their five grandchildren, Jack and Laney Howell and Audie Carolyne Smith, were all there to participate.
As the three children climbed into the back of the CareFlight helicopter, Odom stepped inside for the first time since 2000. The curious kids asked question after question, and Odom answered them one at a time.
"This is where I used to sit," he said as his daughters took photos.
Odom's flight career was cut short in 2000, when he had a heart attack not long after one of his shifts at CareFlight. The pilot turned patient as CareFlight picked him up to rush him to the hospital.
Being back inside the helicopter and hanging out with his co-workers brought back a lot of memories for Odom.
"I guess you could say my children grew up here," he said, tears filling his eyes. "I enjoyed every minute of it. You catch up with any of these girls, they can tell you some stories."
The 25th anniversary was an important day for their family, Erica Odom said, especially because her dad was able to teach his young grandchildren about a program that was a huge part of their family.
"It's a powerful day," she said. "This is a unique place."
The CareFlight program turned 25 in the winter but hospital officials waited until warmer weather to celebrate at the base at the Tupelo Regional Airport.
It was a quiet gathering with food, cake, pictures and memories shared between CareFlight staff members past and present.
Jim Spruiell, a flight nurse who has been with CareFlight for 18 years, said NMMC was "forward-thinking" when it established the program about the time bigger cities like Memphis and Birmingham were doing the same.
Spruiell also works as a paramedic in ambulances and as a nurse in the emergency room.
"It's all the same thing: it's taking care of people," he said.
Since its first flight in December 1986, CareFlight has flown thousands of miles to save lives. It carries three crew members: a pilot and two medical professionals. The current helicopter has been in use since December 2006, and the helicopter relocated to a hanger at the Tupelo Airport.
Copyright 2012 - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo