Road to Recovery Program
Volunteers Are Needed In Forsyth County To Help Cancer Patients On Their Road to Recovery
When Linda Conyers volunteered with the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program to drive cancer patients to their treatments, she already knew what an important service she could provide. When Linda’s mother was living in Texas and undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer, it was generally very difficult to arrange for transportation to and from her treatments – her brother frequently had to miss work in order to drive her.
“I was living here in Cumming during this time but tried to get out to Texas at least once a month to give my mother some help and support and my brother some relief from all that he was having to do,” says Linda. “I kept thinking that there must be some program available to help out in situations such as ours and, by checking on-line, found information about the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program through which volunteer drivers transport cancer patients to and from cancer-related medical appointments. Unfortunately, this program was not available in my mother’s hometown because of lack of volunteers, which has previously been the case here in Forsyth County.”
The need for the Road to Recovery program has been on Linda’s mind since losing her mother to cancer. “I’m widowed and would have similar transportation problems if I were going through difficult cancer treatments,” says Linda. “Even in an affluent county such as ours, you would be surprised by how many cancer patients need rides to their treatment. Cancer patients often have family and friends to drive them to some treatments, but need transportation help when the family and friends are not available. And others have no one at all to help.”
Knowing the need for the American Cancer Society program here in Forsyth, Linda approached the staff at her church, Cumming First United Methodist Church about helping to recruit volunteers to start the program. Linda has agreed to be the program coordinator for the county and is in the process of recruiting and training volunteer drivers.
Through this program, volunteer drivers donate their time and resources to take patients to treatment and back home again. They also provide encouragement and support. Drivers must have a good driving record, a valid driver’s license, auto insurance, a vehicle that is in good working condition and, of course, a little spare time.
Anyone interested in volunteering to be a driver for this program should call Linda at (770) 781-4706 or email her at conyerscpa@bellsouth.net.
