Las Vegas – UFC®, the world’s leading mixed martial arts organization, today announced a new national charitable partnership with Miracle Flights, the nation’s leading nonprofit health and welfare flight organization. Established in 1985, Miracle Flights provides free commercial air transportation to critically ill children in need of medical care far from home.
“UFC athletes are some of the toughest in the world, but what happens inside the Octagon pales in comparison to the obstacles these children face on a daily basis,” UFC Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ike Lawrence Epstein said. “We are proud to partner with Miracle Flights and support its mission to help children receive the life-changing medical care they need.”
This partnership is supported through UFC’s ‘We Are All Fighters’ initiative, which celebrates the fighter in all of us and is a symbol of how everyone fights every day to overcome challenges large and small.
Now in its 32nd year, Miracle Flights has provided more than 110,000 free medical flights to help children with rare and life-threatening conditions gain access to specialized, out-of-state medical care.
UFC’s support of Miracle Flights includes a joint PSA featuring UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin and 11-year old Levi Krystosek. Levi, a native of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, suffers from Jansen’s Metaphyseal Chondrodysplasia, an exceptionally rare form of dwarfism with only 24 known cases worldwide. Since initially contacting Miracle Flights, Levi has been flown to see medical specialists in both Chicago, Illinois, and Wilmington, Delaware, 16 times, which included the nonprofit’s historic 100,000th flight in 2016.
“Like many of the children we fly, Levi faces incredible odds but never gives up. With his endless courage and determination, Levi is a true fighter,” said Mark E. Brown, CEO of Miracle Flights. “To have UFC lend its support to help Levi and all of ‘our kids’ who are fighting for their lives is a tremendous honor.”
Please click the following links to view the short-form feature and public service announcement for this partnership. For more information, please visit www.miracleflights.org.
