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Gas Prices Stall Cancer Recovery Program

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By LAURA FRAZIER The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 2, 2008

BRANDON - BRANDON - Mary Billman often relies on volunteer drivers to take her to and from chemotherapy treatments at her doctors' office in Tampa.

The Brandon woman said she is too ill to drive, and her husband, Paul, frequently is busy with his own medical appointments or not well enough to escort her.

The Billmans waited in their front yard one recent morning for a volunteer driver with the American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program to take Mary to a 9 a.m. appointment.

At about 8:30 a.m., the couple realized they had not confirmed the ride a day earlier, as is customary. Mary Billman said volunteer coordinators pulled out all the stops but were unable to arrange a last-minute driver, so her husband drove her downtown himself.

"They are wonderful people, and it's not their fault that sometimes they can't find a driver for me," Mary Billman said. "It's just that the price of gas is so high, a lot of them can't afford to volunteer as much as they used to."

Program coordinator Pete Ryner said only 11 volunteers are signed on to provide rides for patients in southeast Hillsborough County. The program, which serves cancer patients in Brandon, Valrico, Riverview, Seffner, Plant City and Sun City Center, is overwhelmed with ride requests, he said.

"We had to turn down five requests for rides last week," Ryner said. "A lot of our volunteers are cutting down on the number of trips they make or the miles they drive because of the price of gas."

Because some treatments last up to five hours, Ryner said, each requires two drivers - one to take the patient to the doctor and another to bring him or her home. Some appointments are local, but many require trips to the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa or doctors' offices in Tampa and Lakeland.

Some drivers who used to make two or three trips each week have cut back to one. Others who normally don't mind going the extra mile to pick up people anywhere in the service area say they no longer can afford to venture far from home.

"Say I have a driver who lives in Brandon and he picks up a patient up in Plant City," Ryner said. "They might bring the patient to Moffitt, then bring them back to Plant City, then go back home to their own house in Brandon. The distance and expense, it's just too much for them."

Paul King, a volunteer driver in his second year of service, said he and his wife, Joan, drive patients to treatments two or three times each week. The extra expense has forced them to limit the number of trips they make, but they try to do as much as they can within their budget.

"I would not want to be responsible for a person not being able to get treatment," said Paul King, who in recent years has been successfully treated for three forms of cancer.

"I could drive myself to radiation, or sometimes my wife drove, but that's not always possible," he said. "There is just no reason on Earth that people with cancer should be deprived of a way to get their treatments."

The program covers the cost of a limited number of taxi rides per patient when drivers are not available.

Cancer patient Evelyn Webb said rides are hard to come by because no volunteer drivers live near her home in Plant City. She has taken advantage of the cab service several times, and Polk County's Road to Recovery group recently stepped in to help her get to and from chemotherapy treatments in Lakeland.

Until she discovered the American Cancer Society's driver program a year ago, Webb said her daughters drove from their homes in Tampa and Orlando to take her to appointments.

"I used to pass out at the steering wheel, so they don't trust me to drive," Webb said. "Plus, after my infusions, I get weak, and it bothers my vision. It's not safe for me to drive."

Cost is a big factor, too.

"If I had to pay for a cab, it would totally drain me, and I would absolutely be in the red," she said. "I'm on a very limited income."
American Cancer Society patient services spokeswoman Nancy Nethery said the faltering economy has made the service a necessity for more people undergoing cancer treatment.

"Patients are telling us that if they didn't have a ride from a volunteer, they actually would have to postpone or delay their treatments," Nethery said. "We are in desperate need of drivers everywhere, especially Plant City."

Paige Chivers, a volunteer driver for three years and a 15-year breast cancer survivor, said adjustments to her budget forced her to cut back to no more than two trips a week, but she won't quit the program.

To put new patients at ease, she introduces herself as a cancer survivor.

"I say, 'I've been there, done that and don't want to do it again,'" Chivers said. "One patient I drove about two years ago, she called me 'the talky one.' Once you drive somebody and start to get to know them, they really become very important to you."

Paul King said he and his wife have made many friends through the program.

"You develop some pretty good friendships while you're driving them or sitting in the waiting room with them," he said. "You share your life stories with them, and they share their life with you. You sit and talk about marriages, kids and jobs. We meet the nicest people."

To volunteer as a Road To Recovery driver, call (813) 319-5916. Cancer patients may call 1-800-227-9954 to register for rides.

Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523 or lfrazier@tampatrib.com.

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