Terminally ill teen takes special holiday trip to NYC

A terminally ill teen took a special trip to spend the holidays in New York City with the help of a Long Island organization that provides free flights to people in need. Zoey Kohler, 18, and her best

News 12 Staff

Dec 19, 2016, 3:23 AM

Updated 2,848 days ago

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A terminally ill teen took a special trip to spend the holidays in New York City with the help of a Long Island organization that provides free flights to people in need.
Zoey Kohler, 18, and her best friend, her mom and her grandmother flew in from Ohio to fulfill her wish of visiting New York City during the holidays.
Kohler was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of stomach cancer when she was 16 years old. She's had surgery and on-going chemotherapy to slow its progression.
"This year, in September, the CT scan revealed that the cancer had returned and once it's back it's pretty much untreatable," says Manuela Kohler, Zoey's mother.
Kohler's loved ones say her difficult battle has been an inspiration to many.
"She's the strongest person I know. I mean, I wouldn't be able to go through this and have a big smile on my face," says Jessica Toth, Zoey's best friend.
Zoey and her loved ones flew into Republic Airport in Farmingdale on a seven-seat private jet sponsored by the Farmingdale-based nonprofit Patient AirLift Services and private charter flight company Talon Air. They were then driven by limo into New York City.
"When somebody comes to you and they have a traumatic situation, you can't change what they're going through, but you can ease up their burden just for a little bit," says Eileen Minogue, of Patient AirLift Services.
Zoey and her family will be in New York until Tuesday.
Talon Air owner Adam Katz says he will be arranging for Zoey to sit courtside during a Cleveland Cavaliers game and meet LeBron James.