This afternoon, I did another one of my rides as part of the American Cancer Society's Road to Recovery program. As usual, I was given the name and address of the patient, and the time and place of his doctor's appointment. I called him several days ago to introduce myself and confirm the pickup time.
He was waiting for me outside his apartment building when I arrived. After folding up his walker and stowing it in the backseat, I helped him with the seatbelt and we were on our way. He was plenty talkative and we conversed the whole way there. While drivers are taught not to ask about people's diagnoses or treatment, it's OK to engage in whatever conversation people may initiate. On the ride back home, my client talked a bit about his cancer diagnosis and I was a willing ear.
Like others I've driven before him, he was tremendously appreciative for the ride and couldn't say enough about how valuable this program is to him and others in his situation. Partially for that reason, these rides have definitely become among my favorite kindness acts this year. More so than some of my acts (particularly the anonymous ones, I suppose), I get to really see the impact, on a very personal level, of the work that I'm doing. That's pretty rewarding.
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