Sault man is driven to help cancer patients — literally

The Sault’s John Willcock enjoys driving local cancer patients without transportation of their own to Sudbury for necessary radiation treatments.

For Willcock, there’s a personal aspect to it.

“There’s a history of cancer in my family,” Willcock told SooToday in an interview.

“We know the trauma and stress that’s involved with going to Sudbury and back even though we had our own vehicles. So, you can appreciate that those people who don’t have the transportation to get there would have a huge amount of anxiety and stress to make that trip.”

He became a volunteer driver for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Wheels of Hope program a year ago.

“I felt I’ve got the time and capability to help and take some of that anxiety off people,” said the retired engineering consulting firm manager.

After going through the necessary background check, Canadian Cancer Society Wheels of Hope volunteers use their own vehicles to take cancer patients from the Sault to Sudbury for treatments scheduled for the following day.

Conversely, they bring patients back home to the Sault following treatments performed the previous day.

Volunteer drivers alternate between ‘drop off’ and ‘pick up’ duties.

The Wheels of Hope program schedules travel days for its volunteer drivers while the Canadian Cancer Society reimburses them for their fuel costs.

“The hospitals in Sudbury are generally pretty good. If they know a patient is from Sault Ste. Marie, they’ll try to organize their treatments or appointments as early as they can in the day so they can get back home in a reasonable time. Wheels of Hope don’t like their drivers being out on the road at night if they can avoid it. They’re really good that way. They’re thoughtful and caring about their drivers,” Willcock said.

The Wheels of Hope program was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Canadian Cancer Society provided some funding in the form of its Travel Treatment Fund to help with travel expenses while the Wheels of Hope was suspended. 

Wheels of Hope was reinstated in July 2021 with restrictions on how many people could be in a car, mandatory masking and other measures. Currently there are no restrictions at all.

All charities were hit hard and lost volunteers. Wheels of Hope was no exception but is recovering from that loss.

“I was a bit apprehensive when I first got into this, wondering what frame of mind patients would be in because some of them have Stage 4 cancer,” Willcock said.

However, he said he has been pleasantly surprised. 

“They've all been wonderful. They'll chat to you and they're upbeat. They’re taking their situation in stride and just making the most of it.”

“You hear some wild stories from them which I can’t repeat,” he laughed.

“It makes the journey go really fast. I think they’re just happy to discuss their lives with you.”

Though he is providing a service for others in need of transportation, Willcock said he too derives emotional benefit from being a volunteer behind the wheel.  

“You get some satisfaction from it and you feel good about yourself for sure, but it’s all about helping patients out. It’s all for them.”

There is currently a greater need for Wheels of Hope.

Sault Area Hospital patients needing radiation treatment or radiation/chemotherapy treatment must travel to the Shirley and Jim Fielding Northeast Cancer Centre (NECC) in Sudbury as of Feb. 11 while SAH installs a new state-of-the-art radiation treatment unit. Installation of the new SAH unit is expected to be completed by July 2024.

“All the patients that I’ve had have expressed that it was a huge stress for them learning that they had to go out of town for treatment and not knowing how they’d be able to get there. To have an organization there like Wheels of Hope that provides that service is a huge weight off their shoulders,” Willcock said.

Willcock said he’s happy to drive patients without transportation of their own to Sudbury and, if necessary, to other centres such as London, Toronto or Ottawa.

Before Wheels of Hope, Willcock showed that he’s committed to helping others.

A former Habitat For Humanity Sault Ste. Marie & Area volunteer, he has also donated his time and effort to Christmas Cheer for the past 12 years.

“It’s wonderful at Christmas Cheer. It’s a big group of people. We have a good time and it’s nice to be able to help all those families in need at Christmas,” Willcock said.

“It is very fulfilling,” he said of his experiences as a Wheels of Hope driver.

“It doesn’t have to be a lot of driving to Sudbury. It could be one day a month. I would absolutely recommend it to anybody that’s got some time available. It is very rewarding."