HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE (CBS) – A hundred people were invited Saturday by Boston MedFlight to a reunion for crew members and their pediatric patients.

MedFlight is a non-profit organization that transfers about 3,000 patients a year when they’re critically ill or injured. For families in crisis, the short helicopter ride can feel like a lifetime, but is almost always quicker than an ambulance ride.

Saturday, many of the families who have been on those flights said the flight crews made all the difference.

“Throughout the whole flight they were telling me how he was doing, and what they were doing to him, so that was very comforting. They were wonderful,” said Sheila Roman.

Roman’s son Jon Carlos fell and hit his head on a basketball court in May.

MedFlight picked him up in Salem and raced him to Children’s Hospital in Boston. Roman says she tries to forget May 10th ever happened, but she also wanted the opportunity to thank the pilots, paramedics and nurses who saved her son’s life.

At the 10th annual reunion, Boston MedFlight set up face painting, games, a DJ, and snacks. The crowd mingled for hours as the families not only said thank you, but provided inspiration to the MedFlight crews.

“That’s the best part of the job… seeing our patients doing well, having a life, and doing everything they’re supposed to be doing,” said paramedic Ronald Estanislao.