When the Canadian Cancer Society cut its driver service last fall to get cancer patients from the Tri-Cities and beyond to their chemotherapy, radiation and other treatment appointments, a new group stepped in to fill the gap.
Now, the Volunteer Cancer Drivers' Society (VCDs) needs you to step it up, too.
The non-profit organization is looking for drivers — as well as donations — to shuttle the hundreds of cancer patients it has on its list to hospitals in Vancouver, Surrey and Abbotsford.
Society vice president George Garrett said VCDS requires at least 10 more drivers with vehicles in good condition who can pick up cancer patients from their home, wait with them at the clinic and return them afterward, a journey that can take up to four hours depending on the location.
Port Moody resident Larry Coleman, a retired construction supervisor and VCDS board member, said the demand is growing. "And unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be slowing down either," he said, shaking his head.
Since this spring, he has taken Peter Hilborne from his Klahanie condo in Port Moody to the BC Cancer Agency once a month for chemo and salvage radiation therapy.
Hilborne, a visual artist and former building manager who has had prostate cancer for 16 years and is now listed in palliative condition, said he was scrambling to find drivers after the Canadian Cancer Society cancelled its program to shave $400,000 a year from its operational budget.
"I was relying on friends and family to give me a ride," he said. "It's difficult when the appointments are on weekdays when people are working."
Hilborne added, "Not only has Larry provided a service that gets me to the treatment I need but he has been a great pal."
During their drive every three weeks, the pair catch up on what they've been doing and what's coming up. For Coleman, who lost his mom to cancer, his reward is a friendly smile and a grateful handshake. "It's great," he said. "I get to meet some awesome people who are very much in need."
Volunteer drivers are compensated 41 cents per kilometre, the same as under the former Canadian Cancer Society program. That translates to an $8,000 bill per month for the society, which caters to nearly 400 cancer patients from the North Shore to Abbotsford.
So far, money has rolled in from the municipalities of Delta, Surrey and North Vancouver (city and district) as well as Langley Township and Surrey firefighters and private donors.
Garrett said he hopes to tap city councils in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody this fall plus Rotary clubs and other service organizations.
Port Coquitlam's Lillian Oteskin told The Tri-City News VCDS came to her "rescue" when she was diagnosed with cancer in May and it has since escorted her 30 chemo-radiation appointments and surgeries.
The 68-year-old woman lives alone, has no support and relies on the goodwill of others. "After a treatment at the cancer centre, their smiling face waiting for me brings warmth to my heart," she wrote in an email. "Their strength of character has fostered confidence in me that I can beat this terrible disease."
Visit volunteercancerdrivers.ca to drive or donate.
