SANDWICH, Mass. — A simple act of kindness can make someone’s day.
For cancer patients who need a ride to treatment, a selfless act by a stranger can help ensure they receive potentially lifesaving care.
John Cooper of Sandwich knows that well.
The retired high-tech executive volunteers with the American Cancer Society’s Road To Recovery program, which provides free rides to cancer patients traveling to appointments.
For six weeks, Cooper picked up Kerry Sullivan every weekday and drove her from Sandwich to Plymouth for treatment.
Sullivan said a cancerous tumor was discovered after finding a mass on her jaw. Treatment involved six weeks of radiation five days a week, chemotherapy once a week, and immunotherapy once a month for nine months.
Cooper said volunteering offered him a chance to help someone during a difficult time.
Through Road To Recovery, volunteer drivers can review assignments and see how far a patient lives from them and where the patient needs to go for treatment.
Cooper has driven patients as far as Boston and Saugus, while many of his trips are to two cancer treatment centers on Cape Cod.
He sees the rides as more than transportation.
“To me, this isn’t like an Uber ride,” Cooper said. “Nothing against Uber, but this is something different. It’s not mechanical.”
Cooper said the goal is to bring some positivity and genuine empathy to patients as they travel to treatment.
For Sullivan, those daily rides made a difficult six weeks easier.
“If I had to do it all on my own, it would have been a depressing six weeks, day after day driving there for treatment,” Sullivan said. “But with John, it was like a bright spot of my day.”
Dr. Ethan Glazener, a radiation oncologist at Cape Cod Healthcare in Hyannis, said developing and carrying out a cancer treatment plan is a precise process. When a patient cannot get to an appointment, that plan cannot be carried out as intended which can impact its efficacy.
Glazener said programs such as Road To Recovery can also strengthen a patient’s sense of community and connection, which can support the healing process.
For Cooper, success can be measured in something as simple as a smile.
“If I can drop off that patient at wherever they’re going, a cancer treatment center, and they can have a smile on their face, that’s an epic win,” Cooper said.
Last year, more than 6,000 volunteers provided nearly 90,000 rides across Massachusetts. On Cape Cod, Road To Recovery was able to meet about three-quarters of ride requests.
People interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer driver on Cape Cod or elsewhere in Massachusetts can contact the American Cancer Society.
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