Previously, we wrote about a passenger who died on a flight en route to Boston from France. Now, we have the identity of the passenger who died. A Kansas Air National Guard member tragically died while on board the Air France flight after suffering a medical emergency.
The passenger fell ill while flying from Paris to Boston on January 14. Sadly, Kansas Air National Guard member Barbara Dipoli, 53, died despite an onboard doctor trying to resuscitate her.
"Despite the assistance of a doctor on board, the customer couldn't be rescued," Air France said in its statement. Police confirmed that Dipoli suffered "a medical episode during the flight." As a Kansas Air National Guard member, she "served approximately 22 months in Iraq over two deployments." At the time of her death, she had retired from the Kansas Air National Guard and was looking forward to helping veterans.
Following the veteran's passing, her father, Joseph DiPoli, told WCVB that his daughter was an accomplished military member. She had received several accommodations in her role in the Kanas Air National Guard.
Kansas Air National Guard Member Dies
"No parent should ever have to bury their child. Ever," Joseph DiPoli said. "I could never accomplish in my 34 years in the military. I never came close to accomplishing what she did in 21 years."
Unfortunately, it appears that DiPoli fell ill during a trip to Scotland. She was returning to Boston when her illness took a turn for the worse.
"There was a doctor on board who had administered CPR. It obviously wasn't going to work," Joseph DiPoli said.
According to her father, she suffered from PTSD and an eating disorder. He described her as not in the best of health before her death. "She just wore herself out. There was nothing left. Nothing left for her to fight back with when she got sick," Joseph DiPoli said.
In retirement, she had planned to help other veterans deal with PTSD. Her father remembers her fondly.
"I could never get mad at her. She was too cute. She would do things, and I'd be laughing behind a newspaper," Joseph DiPoli said. "She took care of me very well for the rest of my life. But I would give it all up in a second to get her back."
