Rick Badie's Gwinnett: Flight aid from an angel, for a survivor

I’d imagine most readers knew it was akin to a shot in the dark, but that it couldn’t hurt to put in dibs for free frequent flier miles.

Last Saturday’s column noted a DeKalb County reader who wants to donate 25,000 frequent flier miles to a needy person.

Readers were invited to contact me if they — or someone they knew — could make use of the anonymous gift.

Obviously, plenty of folk need help. All the time. Yet few of the explanations for wanting to travel pulled up shallow, selfish or lame.

All that tells me is that this country’s bailouts, parachutes and economic fixes apparently haven’t penetrated the depths of the common man. He’s left to fend for himself.

In 1996, Tom Maiwald of Johns Creek was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer and given a measly three months to live.

For some reason, though, this 43-year-old married father of two has yet to expire.

Consider: The disease has reached Stage 4 status at least four times in the last 14 years.

The prognosis for the West Point cadet, Army Ranger and certified financial planner has been dire each time.

“He’s really a living miracle,” his wife, Amy, told me.

Days after returning from a spring break mission trip to Guatemala, Maiwald learned that the cancer was growing. Chemo wasn’t an option, so in early May, Maiwald entered the Health & Wellness Institute in Mountlake Terrace, Wash., to undergo alternative treatment.

It involves the development of vaccines, intravenous immunotherapy and bicarbonate therapy in hopes of combating cancerous cells.

Maiwald has secured a place in the Seattle area to live. He even has a car to drive. He credits networking, kind strangers and the Big Man above. Still, the Iowa native’s road to potential healing will remain a challenge for weeks, perhaps months, to come.

Insurance won’t cover medical expenses that could reach $25,000. Maiwald is still working as a certified financial planner.

While away, his wife of 18 years has to manage as best she can, and be a rock for Abby, 15, and Nate, 12. (Doctors had said Tom was incapable of fathering a second child because of the chemo. But along comes Nate, whose name means “gift from God.”)

I learned about the Maiwalds from a former colleague who described them as fine folk in need.

Diane Simmons shared an e-mail written by the family patriarch that outlined aid he and his family would need during the clinic stay.