The volunteers driven to make a wheel difference in the fight against cancer

Patients dealing with a cancer diagnosis also have to deal with the stress of making practical arrangements. This is where the Irish Cancer Society provides a range of services to help patients and their families. One such scheme is the Volunteer Driver Service, which started off in 2008 in St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin as a direct result of patient need. 

Patients were finding it difficult to get to and from their appointments for a number of reasons, including being advised not to drive by their doctors, not being able to access public transport because of compromised immune systems or not having available family or community support. Another reason is that chemotherapy can be a very long treatment and it can be difficult to ask friends and family to take time off work on a regular basis for many months to bring the patient to and from appointments.  

Peter Ludlow (69, above) is from Drumconrath. He has been a driver since July 2012 and has completed nearly 60 drives. Married to Eileen for 43 years and with three grown-up children, Peter is retired from the insurance industry. 
Tony Lawlor (57) is originally from Dublin, but has lived in Dunshaughlin for the past 21 years. A retired public servant, Tony has been married to Noreen for 32 years and has two grown-up children. He has been a driver since March 2015 and has completed 16 drives. 
Timothy Ryan (61) is a retired long-distance truck driver from Trim. Married to Rosemary with two grown-up children, he has completed 44 drives since February 2015.
Peter and Timothy first heard about the Volunteer Driver Service through a letter in the Meath Chronicle, while Tony spotted an item about it in his local parish bulletin. All three men then attended an information meeting and were accepted for training. Here they explain why they got involved and what the volunteer driver role entrails.
“I always liked driving. I did a fair bit of it with my job,” says Peter. “I was also already involved in a lot of voluntary work in my parish. I saw the letter in the Chronicle and I was immediately interested. I went to the information meeting and then filled in the application form - you have to be garda vetted for a start. The training course included plenty of practical information such as being shown around Blanchardstown Hospital and where to do the drop offs and pick ups of clients.” 


“You’re told all about the importance of patience confidentiality at the training course,” adds Timothy (above). 
“Yes, it’s the little things,” says Peter. “You need to be exactly on time for the pick up - not five minutes early and never, ever late. Doing either would put the client under pressure from the off.”
“What I like about it is that people are ever so grateful that you are helping them out and providing a useful service,” says Tony (pictured below). “It takes a lot of stress away from them.”
“How it works is that the drivers get a group email - usually on a Monday - with details about upcoming appointment times and hospital names, but never the details about the person,” explains Timothy. “Once you confirm that you are available, then you get more details and can contact the client to make the arrangement.”
Chemotheraphy sessions can be long and the drivers need to remain close by to be available to pick up as soon as the appointment is finished, so how do they fill their time?

“You have to plan to keep busy - let’s just say that I have seen an awful lot of museums in Dublin and I know the Phoenix Park like the back of my hand!,” says Peter. Timothy agrees. “I think that the deer in the Park know me personally at this point. I even bring them carrots!”

“I had one patient that I dropped off at 11.30am that morning and they didn’t finish treatment until 9pm that night, so it is a long old process for them at times,” says Timothy. “However, they still want to get home to their own bed that night.”

All three point out that the Irish Cancer Society is careful to allocate drivers to different patients in different locations to try to prevent close relationships forming or the possibility of neighbours driving neighbours or friends of friends. Confidentiality is key to the whole scheme. 
“The upside of the job is that you feel like you are taking away a bit of a burden from people just by providing a simple thing like transport,” says Tony. “My wife came through cancer some 14 years ago. Also, I was lucky enough to be able to retire early and you just want to give something back. The downside is when you hear a client has passed away. The very first client that I had passed away some eight months later and it was difficult to hear that.”
“You are advised not to go to any funerals - again because of confidentiality issues,” says Peter.

From a practical point of view, the drivers have to ensure that their cars are always well maintained and roadworthy and up to date with NCT certificates. A small stipend of 24 cent per mile expenses is available, but it is up to each driver whether they apply for it or not. 
“There are other practical considerations,” offers Peter. “You have to take your cue from your client. Some of them want to chat, others don’t. We are a pick up and drop off service - we are not allowed to cross the threshold in to the person’s home and we do not go in to the hospital. We hand the client over to the hospital staff.”
“One tip I learned was to turn on Lyric FM on a low level. It means that there is not silence in the car, but there is still an opportunity for the client to chat if they want to. You also have to be a careful driver - nobody wants an aggressive driver - and we are also told to stay clear of discussing either politics or religion.”
“It’s little things too,” chimes in Tony. “It could be a sunny day and yet if that person has gone through a chemotherapy session, they might be feeling the cold and want the heating on.” 
“Sometimes clients try to offer you money or gifts,” says Timothy. “We are not allowed to take either. I have occasionally found a gift stashed under a seat in the car, but you try to return it!”
“You meet all sorts of people in all sorts of circumstances, but your job is simply to get them from A to B,” says Peter. “It’s a hugely beneficial service for so many people, some of whom would have no other option than to rely on public transport. I have been pretty lucky in life and I am in good enough health, so it’s nice to give something back.” 
Tony agrees. “I have found volunteering for this service to be hugely rewarding. My one funny story is that I was trying to avoid traffic one time on the way home from the Mater Hospital with a female client and I took a short cut. We ended up stuck on the M50 anyhow due to a traffic accident and she said: ‘I told you that we should have gone the other way.’ You have to bite your tongue in a way that you might not with your wife!”
The three men laugh in recognition at Tony’s anecdote and we leave them deep in discussion about their shared experiences of taking part in such a fantastic scheme.

- If a patient is undergoing chemotherapy treatment and is in need of the Volunteer Driver Service, they can ask their healthcare professional to refer them. Find more information at www.cancer.ie
* You can support the Volunteer Drivers Scheme and the many other services offered by the Irish Cancer Society by taking part in and fundraising for the Boyne Valley Pink Ribbon Walk in Kells on Sunday 2nd October. Register online at www.pinkribbonwalk.ie. 
Pick up an entry form in many local shops and businesses or phone (046) 924 0055.