CHESAPEAKE, Va. — When someone is sick, their number one responsibility should be getting better.
Unfortunately, we know that's not the case. There are real life barriers that get in the way, including transportation.
However, a special program organized by the American Cancer Society helps cancer patients get to their treatments for free.
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I met Marlaena Horn, who is a volunteer driver, and Michael Struble, who is a patient using the program.
Struble has non-Hodgkin lymphoma is his esophagus and signet ring cell carcinoma in his stomach. He was diagnosed in February and needs a ride to his weekly treatments.
“I lost my car and had no way of getting [to treatment] other than putting my daughter out, and she's got a job and she's got two kids to take care of,” Struble says.
Horn on the other hand is retired, has time to give and a car. So every month, she picks up Struble and brings him to Chesapeake Regional's Cancer Center.
I asked Struble what the two talk about on their 15-minute ride together.
“The first day I was told, ‘don't talk about politics,’ so we don't talk about politics. And other than that, it's been a great,” he says with a laugh.
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Stuble and Horn are an unlikely pair that have found common ground within the Road to Recovery Program. The program is designed for volunteers to give free rides for cancer-related medical appointments.
"It's a known fact that if people can't get to their appointments, they won't get treatment,” says Horn.
Horn has been volunteering for five years and driving Struble since March.
He was diagnosed not long after retiring and says it hasn’t been easy.
“I’ve got grandchildren that I'm supporting. The most difficult part is thinking about how they're going to be taken care of when I'm gone,” he says.
With so much on his mind each day he says it’s nice to know he can count on one thing: a ride.
“If he needs to be picked up a little earlier, I can do that or if he needs to be a little bit later, then he lets me know," says Horn.
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Along with the support of family and friends, having a reliable ride reminds Struble that he's not fighting alone.
“I’m thinking positive,” he says with a twinkle in his eye. “God's going to help me out.”
When I asked Horn why she volunteers with the program she told me that it helps her just as much as it helps the patients.
“You're part of a thing that is really providing a great service,” she says.
One last thing Stuble told me he wanted to share -- don't be afraid to ask for help.
“That was my problem for a long time, but when you're faced with a situation where you have to -- then do it,” he says.
The program operates similar to other ride sharing programs like Uber or Lyft.
When a patient requests a ride, the volunteer can see where they are going, what the time requirements are and if they can accept it or not.
It is for outpatient treatments only and it's helpful for a driver to have extra space in their vehicle.
Click here for more information on the program from the American Cancer Society.
