Cancer Council NSW is calling on the community to help cancer patients to treatment.
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Volunteers are needed for the organisation's Southern Highlands Transport to Treatment program.
Run in recognition of the unmet transport needs for cancer patients, Cancer Council's Transport to Treatment service ensures that people affected by cancer get to treatment.
Bill Thomson has volunteered with the service for more than five years and is a committed Transport to Treatment driver.
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"I first decided I would apply to Cancer Council to become a volunteer driver upon hearing about the Transport to Treatment program from a neighbour who was undergoing treatment at the Bowral Cancer Centre," he said.
"Being retired and with plenty of time on my hands it was an ideal role for me to become involved in. Also, being a cancer survivor myself, I felt that I had a real appreciation of what people go through.
"Being a volunteer driver for the Cancer Council Transport to Treatment program is very rewarding for me and I encourage others, both male and female, to consider taking on this worthwhile role."
The Cancer Council's community programs coordinator Sally Lewis is grateful for Bill Thomson and the amazing volunteer drivers in the Southern Highlands.
"Volunteers like Bill are a crucial part of our workforce, reducing the financial and emotional burden of cancer by providing free transport to people affected by cancer who have no transport alternatives to get to their treatment," Mrs Lewis said.
"Patients really appreciate and speak in glowing terms of all the drivers who volunteer to take them to their treatments and are especially appreciative of the work done by the Transport Coordinators whom the patients liaise with regularly.
"So far this financial year, our Transport to Treatment drivers have volunteered 1850 hours of their time and driven 60,500 kilometres to make sure cancer patients could get to treatment."
To join Bill and volunteer as a Transport to Treatment driver, please send an expression of interest to sally.lewis@nswcc.org.au or call 4223 0200 for more information.
