How we help
Transport to Treatment: Removing the stress from getting to treatment
Transport to Treatment helps ease the burden of getting to and from cancer treatment, assisting those living in remote areas who require regular treatment – because a cancer diagnosis is stressful enough.
Making distance no barrier for getting to treatment
Without Cancer Council’s Transport to Treatment service, Carl Rattray and his wife Linda would have found it near impossible to travel to and from treatment for Carl’s five weeks of radiotherapy appointments. Carl’s back cancer meant that sitting on a public bus or using a taxi service was not an option.
Carl RattrayI had radiation on my back, to be able to sit in a bus would have been nearly impossible."
Transport to Treatment passenger
Often, treatment is extensive and ongoing, so our Transport to Treatment service is vital for repeated attendance at treatment facilities which may be far from home. It also relieves those affected by cancer from the stress of travelling alone or having to drive themselves to treatment and find parking, which simply might not be possible when going through treatment.
Carl RattrayIt’s such a stressful time and it consumes you, when you find people like Cancer Council who are so willing to help you, you can concentrate on your treatment more so than the accommodation and the transport."
Transport to Treatment passenger
In 2018, thanks to the support from people like you, our services were able to transport over 32,000 people with cancer and their carers to their treatment facilities. Over 54,500 hours of volunteer driver time were given to travel over 1.7 million kilometres to help people with cancer get to their treatment.
So much more than a transport service
Bill is one of the many Cancer Council employees and dedicated volunteers powering Transport to Treatment. He says there’s no feeling like helping people affected by cancer get to their treatment safely.
BillI feel absolutely rewarded at the end of the day, more so than any job I’ve ever had. Just meeting all the lovely folks and thinking that I’ve just helped them out, just that one little bit of their journey."
Transport Driver, Cancer Council Queensland
On average, Bill does four runs per day - two runs in the morning and two runs in the afternoon - with between five and eight hospitals on each run. He frequently picks up the same passengers, which means he gets to know their personal stories. While Carl was undergoing treatment, Linda was also diagnosed with cancer and Bill was able to provide the couple – not just with transport – but with a much-needed listening ear, too.
Carl RattrayBill helped me so much through it, we so often had really personal conversations. It’s not a bus service, it’s a family trip."
Transport to Treatment passenger
Our friendly drivers, like Bill, are very aware of and sensitive to what their passengers are going through.
BillYou have to be very aware of folks from day to day for their treatment, ‘cause one minute they can be pretty good and the next minute basically falling in a heap, so I’ve just had to learn how to gauge people."
Transport Driver, Cancer Council Queensland
Thanks to the ongoing, generous support of donors and volunteers, Cancer Council can continue to run this crucial service and remove the stress of people affected by cancer getting to their treatment.
Availability of our services varies around the country. To find out about support services for people affected by cancer in your local area, get in touch with your local Cancer Council or call 13 11 20.
Looking Ahead
We won’t rest until we’ve dramatically reduced the significant impact cancer has on every member of our community.