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Health & Fitness

Road to Recovery. Help Cancer Patients in Your Community- Margot Ferron

Last year on behalf of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life/ Mission Viejo, I was at the Drug Walk with a cancer informational booth.   Our goal is to share information, educate and create awareness regarding cancer, plus recruit people interested in participating for Relay For Life.

A gentleman in his 50s motioned for me to go to the side of the table.   He wanted to talk in private.   His wife and high school sweetheart had been diagnosed with cancer.   As he spoke, he had tears in his eyes, “I know I am supposed to be the strong one, but I am lost and don’t know what to do.  We don’t have kids or family, I have no where to turn.   She needs chemo, but I have to work.”  

This gentle, giant continued; tears rolled down his cheeks, “She is too sick to drive and we can’t afford transportation.”   I was so relieved that I knew about Road to Recovery.  This plea and cry for help will be forever etched in my heart.

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“She doesn’t have to miss appointments, The American Cancer Society’s, Road to Recovery program provides free transportation to and from treatment for people who have cancer.”   Every day cancer patients in our area miss appointments because they can’t afford rides and are too sick to drive themselves.   The need for transportation has increased and the American Cancer Society desperately needs volunteer drivers in our community.

Volunteer drivers donate their time and resources to take patients to treatment and back home.   They provide encouragement and support.

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To volunteer, drivers must have a valid driver’s license, a safe, reliable vehicle and proof of automobile insurance.  Drivers need to have a good driving history and be in good health.

 

If you aren’t able to be a driver, please consider being a driver coordinator.  Coordinators schedule the rides and can work from their home when it is convenient for them.   It takes as little as four hours a week, organization and communication skills. 

To learn about volunteer opportunities in your area with the Road to Recovery program or for any questions, please call 1-800-227-2345 or go to www.cancer.org.

For more information about Relay For Life, feel free to contact Margot Ferron at 949/ 309-1235, gomargotgo@aol.com.  Make a difference in your community by getting involved.

 

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