Clinical decisions remained with the relevant medical professionals.
Transportation providers retained their own operational and safety responsibilities.
The fund's role was to support coordination and access where appropriate.
Naomi had created it because of something her father experienced during his final years.
Thomas developed a serious cardiac condition.
His doctors managed it carefully, but the family often struggled with the logistics of specialized appointments outside their immediate area.
Transportation wasn't the only challenge.
There were medical decisions.
Insurance questions.
Work schedules.
And the exhaustion of helping someone who was already frightened.
Naomi had resources by then.
She could arrange transportation.
Take time away from work.
And help her parents navigate the process.
But she remembered sitting beside other families in hospital waiting rooms.
People who couldn't afford to miss a shift.
People traveling long distances by bus.
People trying to coordinate appointments around unreliable transportation.
It troubled her.
Not because she believed a private jet could solve healthcare access problems.
It couldn't.
But because she understood how better coordination and targeted support might reduce some practical barriers.
After Thomas died, she established the fund.
Her mother helped shape it.
Evelyn insisted that it support practical needs rather than impressive ceremonies.
"No fancy gala before you've figured out who needs the help," she told Naomi.
Naomi laughed.
"Yes, Mom."
"And don't buy a giant sign with your father's name on it."
"Mom."
"I'm serious."
Naomi smiled.
"I know."
The first grants supported transportation coordination for families and healthcare teams working with regional medical centers.
The program was modest.
But it grew.
The Columbus meeting would determine whether it could expand through partnerships with additional organizations.
Naomi had spent months preparing.
And now, sitting aboard the jet whose captain had called her a waitress, she felt the contrast sharply.
Her father had taught her that a system was only valuable if it worked for people.
Richard had treated the aircraft as a symbol of privilege and an opportunity for personal profit.
They had looked at the same kind of technology.
And seen entirely different purposes.
As the aircraft approached Columbus, Naomi closed her tablet.
She looked toward the cream leather seat.