Road To Recovery helps local cancer patients get to their life-saving treatment

A program which helps cancer patients get to and from their cancer treatments needs volunteers.

For decades now, the American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program has been providing rides to cancer patients who have trouble with transportation.

But a coordinator for the program, Pammie Sue Dutton, says they're in desperate need of drivers to keep the program going.

Right now they only have four.

"It's not like if you volunteer if you become driver you're not going to be driving five days a week, you know, it's hit or miss and actually the more drivers I have that's the more people I can call you. One person can take them and drop them off and another can pick them up and take them home and with four drivers that's kind of hard to do sometimes," explains Dutton.

And local cancer patient, Dante Derossetti, has benefited from this program immensely.

Dante has been a resident of Ocean City for over 40 years.

Although in November 2015, his world was turned upside down

"I was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer and sometimes when you face something like that you don't realize that it's going to be attached to a nine week program. That's 45 doctors visits to begin with at the radiation lab," says Dante.

He tells 47 ABC it was overwhelming at first, especially when he found out how rigorous his program was going to be.

Nine weeks of radiation, five days a week. 

That's when transportation came into question.

"Sometimes it becomes so overwhelming that I guess a lot of people would just, if you don't have a strong support group you have to reach out. If you can't afford cabs and things like that, so that's when I was introduced to the Road to Recovery program.

Road To Recovery is a nationwide American Cancer Society program where volunteer drivers help cancer patients get to and from their treatments.

It's a program that saved Dante from fear that he wouldn't get to all his treatments and brought him a new friend.

"Through the paths of my treatment we became friends. He had me over to the house for dinner, it was just a great situation it turned out great for me," exclaims Dante, " he's always punctual and it's just nice to have someone to talk to on your way over and on your way back. It can make it a little easier for you with that human element in there."

But its not just the patients benefiting, but the drivers too.

Pammie Sue, a local driver and coordinator for the Road to Recovery program, says it's a very humbling experience.

"You pick them up and you hear their story and you think 'oh my gosh' you feel so small and so I'm not going to complain about anything again because some of them are going through some really tough times," explains Pammie Sue.

She says no one should go through cancer alone and donating her time every now and then to give to those fighting for their lives a ride is so rewarding.

For Dante, who finished up treatments over the holidays, he hopes this program can help others just like it helped him.

"If there's anybody out there that's been diagnosed and is facing what I was facing there's help out there don't be discouraged it can be worked out one way or another."

If you're interested in learning more about Road to Recovery or you want to become a volunteer driver log on to cancer.org/drive or 1-800-227-2345.