Danny Abalama
Danny Abalama is a gifted pilot with a talent for flying in difficult and remote areas throughout his home state of Alaska. As someone who grew up in a village himself, Danny is committed to providing the best care possible to hard-to-reach areas.
In one instance, Danny landed an aircraft in the middle of the night in a small rural region with only the community’s off-road vehicle lights to illuminate the runway. In another occurrence, Danny “hand-flew” an aircraft on a flight from Kotzebue to Kobuk, just above the Arctic Circle, when the aircraft’s autopilot malfunctioned. Despite the demands of that flight, Danny was described as “cool as a cucumber.” He never flinched or faltered.
Danny is always willing to help other pilots on his base. He supports his colleagues so they can be ready in the event they must serve as single pilots without a full instrument panel.
Humble, kind, soft-spoken, and funny, Danny Abalama is a true leader.
Lauri Wempen
Lauri Wempen is being honored as a Star of Life for her leadership and service to her community and to clinicians throughout her state. Lauri has been with Guardian Flight Wyoming for the past six years and has been working in EMS in communities throughout Wyoming for the past thirty-five years. Among her many achievements, Lauri served as the EMS Director for Fremont County EMS from 1998-2013. During this time, she instructed new EMTs and helped to build the EMS personnel in Wyoming, many of whom are still working the front lines today. She also continued to take ambulance calls to support her staff and community. Additionally, Lauri was an appointed member of the Wyoming Governor’s Board for Public Safety and Communication from 2007–2013, and she represented Wyoming in 2010 during EMS on The Hill in Washington, D.C.
Lauri obtained her Firefighter 1, Firefighter 2, and Firefighter Instructor 1 certifications, and worked as a volunteer Firefighter in Fremont County, Wyoming. She started working in 2001 and retired from the fire service in 2021. In 2013, Lauri obtained her Paramedic degree and continued her education to progress to the Flight Paramedic level. Lauri joined Guardian Flight in 2016 as a Flight Paramedic and has worked her way up to the base lead.
Jason Dau
Jason Dau is being honored as a Star of Life for his continual pursuit of excellence and compassion in his service to his community. He loves his community so much that he has dedicated his life to serving it.
Kotzebue, the Alaskan city where Jason was born and raised, is a small northwest arctic borough community that is part of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. The primary health care facility in the area is the Maniilaq Health Center, although the airbase that Jason is assigned to ensures that those in the outlying villages have access not only to the resources offered by Maniilaq but also to the advanced levels of care found in Anchorage at Alaska Native Medical Center. Jason’s work as a Flight Nurse is vital, as he ensures that the people of his community can receive specialized treatment should they require it. Without Jason and his fellow Guardian Flight crew, the critical cases in his secluded region would not have easy access to care.
Jason’s heart for service and care for his team are demonstrated in his extraordinary work ethic. His deep commitment to patient care is rooted and fueled by his inborn love for his own borough community—the only place he has ever called home.