"Hello? Yeah, um... I can't make my appointment, I can't afford to put gas in my car..."

Here's how it goes... your doctor finds something "suspicious" and sends you for an MRI or CT scan... or perhaps he does a biopsy in his office and sends it off to the lab. Then, a week or so later, you get a call to come in to your doctor's office. They tell you what you've been dreading: it's cancer. And the fight begins.

You hear from the scheduling nurse at Highland's Oncology Group and meet with their doctors and a plan is created to address the kind of cancer you have and you are assured that if you can make it through the next ________ weeks and get to your treatments, things will be okay. There is hope.

But then, a few weeks into your visits - whether they be daily radiation appointments or chemo every other week - your car breaks down. Or your child needs a band instrument or cheerleading uniform. Or you just have to pay the electric bill and buy groceries. Whether your vehicle isn't running or you just can't afford to put gas in it, you aren't going to make your next appointment. Maybe a few appointments. Hope starts to slip a little.

But there was that nice social worker that met with you at your first appointment at the oncology clinic... they said something about help with transportation. Here's their card...

Just when a patient thinks that they will have to miss their treatments, a potential threat to their successful journey to recovery, there is Hope Cancer Resources.

We have three vehicles and four drivers in our transportation program, ready and waiting to pick up patients at their homes and deliver them to their cancer-related appointments and back home again. This includes  chemotherapy and radiation appointments as well as other medical visits that are related to their diagnosis. Our drivers work every weekday to provide the support necessary to make sure that treatment plans are carried out as prescribed. In addition to financial challenges, some patients may need a ride because they are unable to drive due to their diagnosis, or their usual caregiver is unable to take another day off work... whatever the reason, there is hope.

In the first four months of 2010, our drivers put over 44,800 miles on our vehicles and made 774 trips. At times, a trip is only a few miles, but other times a driver could be gone all day picking up and taking home to towns in eastern Oklahoma or western Carroll county. In 2009, the total miles logged was over 155,600. That's a lot of time behind a wheel, and a lot of doctor's visits that weren't missed. That's a lot of hope given.

If you or someone you know would benefit from transportation assistance, or if you'd like to make a donation to support the program, please contact us.