A side effect: Fewer drivers for patients
A network of volunteers is helping to keep cancer patients in Southeastern Massachusetts alive by providing them with transportation to medical treatments. And while many drivers - some of them cancer survivors themselves - continue to offer this assistance, it has been affected by the high cost of fuel.
The American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery Program matches volunteer drivers with cancer patients who can't drive or are too sick to drive themselves to doctor's appointments and treatments. According to the American Cancer Society's regional office in Brockton, which serves Norfolk, Plymouth, and Bristol counties as well as the Cape and the Islands, the availability of rides has decreased by about 20 percent since gas prices began rising sharply.
Volunteer drivers have either cut back on the number of trips they offer or have withdrawn from the program because they can't absorb the higher expenses.
The list of drivers has dropped from about 460 to 380, at latest count, according to the Brockton office's director of cancer control, Gayle Bagley.
"I've been here for five years, and it seems like all of a sudden, we've just gone into crisis mode for drivers," Bagley said. "You get the calls, and you don't have anyone to give the rides. The need is particularly critical for rides to hospitals in Boston."
Bagley said the program would welcome drivers who could provide transportation as infrequently as once a month. The drivers must use their own cars, and they are not reimbursed for any expenses.
For Canton resident and six-year veteran volunteer Tom Miller, who drives a Lincoln Town Car, higher gasoline costs have affected his wallet, but not his heart. He continues to provide transportation to and from hospitals in Boston at least once a week.
Miller knows just how difficult it is to undergo treatment for cancer, even if transportation isn't a problem. He has beaten lung cancer twice. Since he was part of a large family, Miller had people to help him.
"But there are people out there who can't get treatment because they can't get to it," said Miller, a retired Boston police officer who can navigate through city traffic easily. He believes his appearance - 6-feet 1 tall and 250 pounds - can give fellow cancer patients hope.
"I look like a bull," he said. "I look like I've never been sick so they can see there's a light at the end of the tunnel."
Lorraine Stone, an 83-year-old Stoughton resident, calls the volunteer drivers her "angels." Stone had her pancreas removed after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May 2004. Her family was told she would probably live for only three months.
She also suffered a metastasis of the cancer within five months of that first surgery. "I was told I would have to have chemotherapy every week for the rest of my life," Stone recalled. She has followed that directive, even though it has sometimes been difficult making the weekly trip to Boston.
Stone's husband, who was ailing himself, could not provide transportation, and he has since died.
Miller often provides Stone with a ride home after her four-hour treatment. Knowing she can get her weekly treatment contributes to Stone's overall positive attitude about life. "I'm so grateful. . . . My doctor says I'm a miracle," she said.
Stoughton resident Dolores Cummings found out about the Road to Recovery Program through a newspaper ad seeking volunteer drivers.
That was seven years ago, when she was just coming out of a difficult spell in her own life.
"I had pancreatic cancer in 1999. I had surgery and three different kinds of chemotherapy over six months, followed by radiation treatment. I feel fortunate to be alive," said Cummings.
"My attitude has been even if it is somewhat of a strain for me, it's something I need to do for people and for myself," Cummings said.
The American Cancer Society works with the Hingham call center, a hot line that arranges rides for cancer patients and needs drivers in the Quincy, Milton, and Braintree areas. Bagley said Plymouth and Marshfield also need drivers. To volunteer, call the Brockton office at 508-584-9600 or the Hingham hot line at 781-749-2535.
Christine Legere can be reached at christinelegere@yahoo.com. 