Volunteer drivers are needed in South Delta to assist with a program that helps ease the burden and stress of patients attending cancer treatments.
The Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society was established in 2015 following the unexpected cancellation of a similar program offered by the Canadian Cancer Society.
The society serves Delta, Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, Mission, the Tri-Cities, New Westminster and the North Shore. Volunteer drivers offer round trip transportation for patients living in these areas for treatment at facilities across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley.
Drivers are reimbursed for the kilometres driven, tolls and parking costs and are connected to the people they will be driving in a safe and secure manner.
Driver/dispatch coordinator Bill Ruppel said they currently have three drivers in South Delta, but would love to see more.
"We are looking for volunteer drivers to accommodate some of the needs we are experiencing to transfer patients from Victoria Hospital for scans at VGH," Ruppel said. "Our job is to pick those patients up at the ferry terminal, take them to VGH and then take them back to the ferry terminal. Efficiency is an issue as costs are high, so ideally we would love to get more drivers from Tsawwassen and Ladner rather than say Abbotsford for this needed area."
He said local drivers would also assist patients living in South Delta who need to travel to Vancouver or elsewhere in the Lower Mainland for treatment.
"We need people who have the time and the inclination to help," he said. "A lot of our drivers seem to have some previous connection to cancer, so there is sensitivity around that and a willingness to help out."
Vice president George Garrett said when the Canadian Cancer Society cancelled the program, a few volunteers, including himself, stepped up to form the new society.
"People had nowhere to turn. We had an example of one lady who lived in Cloverdale and her family couldn't take her to her appointments, so she took a taxi - $100 to Vancouver - one way. People can't afford that," said Garrett. "In the early stages of treatment you are going in some cases 25 trips. It's very hard on these families. Public transit is not an option, so we formed this new society and we have grown to more than 500 drives throughout the region."
The provincial government has provided some grant money, municipalities like Delta and Surrey have also provided funding as has the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation and various fire department foundations.
"Our biggest challenge has been fundraising because our society just continues to grow," said Ruppel.
"The demand is growing quickly. We are looking for exposure to the public in all these communities not only with volunteers, but also financial support as well."
To learn more about the program, call 604-515-5400 or visit www.volunteercancerdrivers.ca.
