Pardon me for not being an AA expert, but I understand their free/$25 confirmed standby policy to be available only on the day of travel. Chfmikeokc called four days out and was told at that point he could only pay the change fee and rebooking into a more-expensive fare class. I assume that due to the medical emergency, he had neither the time nor the patience to wait until the day of travel to take advantage of free/$25 confirmed standby. If that is the case, I agree with his decision to simply go full-fare on WN.