Road to Recovery volunteer Judy LeRoy has provided rides to doctor’s appointments for cancer patients who were impoverished as well as for those financially well-off.
The common denominator for these patients at opposite ends of the social stratum, and all those in between, is the need for transportation to appointments that will help save their lives.
As of late, however, LeRoy is among a dwindling number of Road to Recovery drivers available to transport people with cancer to clinics and medical centers in the area and region. Because of this, long-time volunteer coordinator Bill Walb is appealing for help from those who can spare a few hours out of the week or month to drive individuals to appointments.
Walb said the program, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, has been provided in the Bradford area for approximately 20 years. Volunteer drivers provide rides to and from treatment for those who don’t have a ride or are unable to drive themselves.
The program is made more convenient for volunteers in the Bradford area thanks to a new van solely dedicated for the transport of Road to Recovery patients. The van, which is gassed up and has a number of amenities including a GPS to provide directions, was donated by George Duke of Zippo Manufacturing Co. Walb said the program is one of the few in the country that has a van for the transports. Even with this provision, volunteers have been in short supply.
“Due to people in Florida on vacation, sickness and people who have other things going on in their lives we’ve seen a decrease in drivers,” Walb explained. “I have one or two drivers, but I need” five to 10 more.
He said the organization often makes a run a day, and sometimes as many as two runs a day. “Right now we’re in a lull, thank God,” Walb said of requests for rides. “But when we get busy again, I’m not going to be able to do many of the runs.”
He said volunteer drivers can be asked to take people to facilities in areas that include Olean and Buffalo in New York state, as well as Coudersport, Warren, Erie and Pittsburgh. Walb said potential drivers have to be between the ages of 21 and 84 and have a good driving record. The individuals will also be vetted through a criminal background check. The organization can contact drivers by phone or by email to schedule runs. Drivers can set schedules that meet their needs, he added.
“The driver has all the power,” Walb said. “If they can do it, they accept, and if they can’t they let it go. They don’t have to be afraid of being committed.”
LeRoy, who is retired, said the vetting process to sign up as a driver was a fairly simple procedure for her. She was recruited three years ago to help the program by her pastor, the Rev. Tom Brown of St. Raphael Catholic Church in Eldred. She said Brown also serves as a driver.
LeRoy said she enjoys the program for several reasons.
“I enjoy helping people and meeting people,” she remarked. “There are people with no money who desperately need transportation. And there are people who are wealthy and desperately need transportation because they have no one to take them. Cancer doesn’t discriminate.”
On a final note, Walb said he is hopeful there are enough “compassionate” people in the community who will step forward and fill the volunteer slots.
“Compassion is a very big part of this because you have to care,” Walb said.
For more information on volunteering for the program, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345.
