Support for the Journey...

THE MATTER 

OF A GAS CARD

Lisa Manzini-Pace, LCSW

   Hope Cancer Resources    

The patient was tall and solid with a weathered and wise face.  He asked for the Social Worker after finishing his chemo treatment at the oncology clinic.  He drove to his daily treatments  from somewhere well into Oklahoma.  The previous week he had called in advance and a gas card had been left at the reception desk.  This no nonsense man had anticipated the same thing this week.

The social worker invited him to her small office in the clinic and explained that a gas card could be given to him in person as well.  The patient indicated that time was an important factor and asked again about how to arrange for it in advance.   He sat for a while after having been issued the gas card.  The social worker asked him a little about himself.  He wasn’t a big talker but indicated that his wife had severe medical issues and would soon require surgery in Fayetteville.  They commiserated on the complexities of health and medical care.  The man had a pleasant sense of humor and they laughed a little.

Each week on the same day he would ask to see the social worker for his gas card.  She learned where he was from originally, the work he had done, about his family and more.  He was not a natural talker but seemed to enjoy the little chats.  The social worker found them pleasant as well.  He liked to laugh despite the hardships of his situation.

In later visits the patient confided that his wife wasn’t doing well.  He, however, appeared to bear up quite well despite his treatments.  They talked about the news.  It had been a turbulent couple of weeks in the nation and the world.

                

Last week the patient asked the social worker if something was wrong.  This surprised her because there had been a serious occurrence but she felt she had concealed her sadness.  She explained about the death of a young man, a senseless and tragic event.  The patient nodded with understanding.   He knew about loss.  He had been in Vietnam.  His kindness was apparent.  He later confided that his wife’s situation was even more complicated.  The social worker offered reassurance and walked him out.  As he was leaving, the man turned back with a sad smile and said, “See you next week.”

The Wheels on the Van

It's easy to think that the most difficult part of a battle with cancer is the physical condition that some of the treatments can leave you in. And, for many people, that is certainly the case. Chemotherapy can make you sick, radiation can leave you with uncomfortable rashes that make even the most comfortable clothing in your closet painful to wear. Both forms of treatment cause fatigue that there is simply no cure for except the end of treatment.

But for many people in Northwest Arkansas the first hurdle to be cleared when discussing a treatment plan with their oncologist is figuring out how they will even get to their appointments in order to begin the fight. Some patients may not be able to drive as a result of their disease, others because of treatment side-effects. Friends and family may only be able to help for a short time or on a limited basis. With chemotherapy appointments scheduled every few weeks and radiation plans typically requiring a patient to visit the clinic five days a week for 5-7 weeks, transportation becomes one of the primary obstacles for patients as they go through treatment. Patients can not fight their cancer if they are unable to get to the clinic.

At Hope Cancer Resources we have three vehicles in our transportation program. Our drivers drive hundreds of miles every weekday to provide the support necessary to make sure that treatment plans are carried out as prescribed.

In the first four months of 2012, our drivers put over 54,000 miles on our vehicles and made 927 trips. That's 10,000 miles more than this time two years ago. Sometimes a trip is only a few miles. Other times a driver could be gone all day picking up and taking home to towns in Oklahoma or Carroll county. In 2011, the total miles logged by our vehicles came in at just over 129,000. 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.

"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.