FLORENCE – A disappointing postponement on Friday was transformed into jubilation just 24 hours later, as a Learjet touched down on Saturday at Florence Regional Airport with Caroline Johnson onboard.

Tears of joy from family and friends greeted Johnson’s arrival, her first time back in Florence since being critically injured in a car accident near St. Petersburg, Florida, in July. She spent nearly two months in Bayfront Medical Center after suffering numerous internal injuries that included a ruptured aorta.

Ironically, the journey home on Saturday was one that almost never took place. Arrangements had already been underway to airlift Johnson back to Florence via fixed wing critical-care transport. However, last minute medical questions on Friday regarding the certainty of her being able to safely travel abruptly cancelled the flight.

That, however, did not deter Kaye Allen, executive director of Mercy Medicine Clinic, who doggedly searched for other alternatives. One finally presented itself early on Saturday.

What had seemed like a lost cause was almost immediately transformed back into a positive light. The mission to return Johnson home was a go once again thanks to AmbuAir, an air ambulance service based in New York City that flies both domestically and internationally.

The Learjet 25 took off from Clearwater International Airport at 3:59 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Johnson was attended to by an entourage of highly skilled medical personnel who constantly monitored and cared for her throughout the flight. At a general cruising speed averaging about 450 knots, the aircraft soon touched down at Florence Regional Airport just an hour and two minutes later at 5:01 p.m.

The range of emotions on the faces of friends and family were a mix of elation and relief, as the sleek jet hit its reverse thrusters and slowed to begin its approach to the taxiway. Johnson’s oldest daughter, Porsha, watched the aircraft draw ever closer, tears streaming down her face.

“That was very hard for us when we first found out that she wasn’t coming home,” she recalled. “We prayed and we cried; we cried and we prayed, asking God if there was any kind of way He could get her home. There was a whole lot of praying going on.”

The tears flowed even more freely when the aircraft hatch was opened and Johnson was carefully carried out to be transferred to an awaiting ambulance provided by Carolina MedCare.

“She was waving, smiling and crying, and waiting to greet everybody,” Porsha said. “That really touched me because I was so happy to see her home. Everything about it was God’s blessing.”

Also helping convey the word of those blessings was Johnson’s pastor, Louis Brody of Resurrection Outreach Ministries, who prayed with the family on Saturday for her safe return to Florence.

“It’s really emotional and I’m just elated that it has finally come to pass, to see the love and smiles on the family’s faces,” he said. “We all understand that God is in control and he can see things that we can’t. He’s got a way of working things out.”

Allen shared in this joy with Johnson’s family and friends, experiencing the ups and downs that were part of the often uncertain process of expediting her journey back from Florida.

“This was one of the most joyous moments I’ve ever encountered in my life,” Allen said. “They could not afford to get her home. She was down there by herself with no familiar faces and most of her family had not seen her since the accident.”

But the homecoming was also bittersweet when the reality of just how badly Johnson had been injured in the accident began to sink in.

“It was difficult seeing firsthand what she had been through and what she was going through,” Allen said. “But you could really feel the Holy Spirit. That’s what brought this lady home.”

Bob Marchand of AmbuAir said this kind of service goes above and beyond just a typical day at the office.

“People really don’t know or think much about this kind of service until they actually need it,” he said. “The idea is to get something that will give you the good service that you need and take the time to take care of all those small details that are so important. We go out of our way to make the trip pleasant, as well as try to get the customer the best price possible.”

Many thanks go out to AmbuAir, including flight coordinator Bob Marchand, as well as Learjet pilot, Brandon Plas; co-pilot, John Laneir; nurse, Anne Butterfield and medic, Rob Smith. Mercy Medicine would also like to thank Powers Aviation, Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg and McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence for their help in coordinating this effort.

However, none of this would have been possible without the tremendous generosity exhibited by the Mary Alice Caudle Ingram Charitable Lead Unitrust, which graciously provided the funding necessary to make these arrangements. Mercy Medicine Clinic extends its deepest gratitude to Mrs. Mary Alice Ingram Busch of Florence, who has time and again supported Mercy’s mission to aid the indigent and working poor.

A fundraiser to help Johnson and her family is planned for August 24 at 5 p.m. at Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ, which is located at 407 Johns St. in Florence. Performing at this fundraiser will be gospel singers Antonio Black and the Body of Christ.