WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Kentuckiana family stranded while heading to China for child's life-saving treatment

Kentuckiana family stranded while heading to China for child's life-saving treatment

By Lindsay English

LOUISVILLE (WAVE) - For months, WAVE 3 News has been following the story of the Goranflo family. The Shepherdsville family has two children, ages 5 and 3, who have both been diagnosed with a rare condition called Batten's Disease. The family raised the money needed for stem cell treatment in China for their daughter, Hailey, but complications have trapped the Goranflo's halfway on their journey. WAVE 3's Lindsay English has more.  

The week started out so hopeful for Hailey and Miranda Goranflo.

"We put them on an airplane to fly to Chicago and everything was going very well," said Hailey's grandmother, Cynthia Biebelhauser Roberts. "Hailey was doing pretty good and everything was going smoothly,"

But Cynthia says that all changed when they arrived in Canada.

Cynthia said her daughter and granddaughter "got to Vancouver the same day, on Monday afternoon, and they refused her access to the flight. They refused for her to fly the rest of the way to China with Hailey."

First Air China, then Air Canada refused to allow them to fly.

"I can't believe we've come this far and now they are telling us it's over," Miranda Goranflo told WAVE 3 by phone from Vancouver.

She said after being bumped repeatedly and even boarding one plane before being kicked off again, she doesn't know where to turn. "I've never been under so much stress in my entire life. I have fought and fought and fought with the airlines and the doctors here. They don't think she's safe on a plane to China."

The stress caught up to Hailey and she was rushed to a hospital in Vancouver. She's stable now, but her family believes she needs to start receiving treatment - sooner rather than later.

"Now they just want to send us home and they tell me to take her home and just let her die at home," says Miranda.

Airline officials were arranging a flight to Seattle or maybe California and then possibly a flight back to Louisville. But the family isn't ready to stop fighting just yet.

"Why can't they just take her to where she has a chance?" asked Cynthia. "Instead of bringing her here, where she's going to die and it's not probably going to be in the very far future."

WAVE 3 contacted both Congressman John Yarmuth and Senator Mitch McConnell's offices about the Goranflo's situation, and they've both promised to look into it.

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Online Reporter:  Lindsay English

Online Producer: Charles Gazaway