Local college grad shares time and rides with cancer patients

Pre-med college students are not known for having a ton of extra time on their hands, but one local man is making the most of his schedules to give cancer patients a lift.

Jay Patel, now 23 and living in Burlington, began volunteering with the American Cancer Society’s Road To Recovery program in 2017 when he was a sophomore at UMass Amherst. Although he was juggling a lot of classwork and activities, he had a car on campus and knew he wanted to contribute to the Society’s life-saving mission.

“The American Cancer Society does an amazing job of providing volunteer opportunities for students like me who had a very restrictive schedule,” said Jay, who graduated from UMass last year. “I was able to pick up patients on my own time.”

As an undergrad, Jay would typically bring patients to and from Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, or in and out of Boston while he was on school breaks. Every single patient was grateful he helped navigate them to where they needed to go, he said.

One passenger and Jay had coffee together, and the man shared many stories with him. He pointed out historic spots they passed during the car ride and gave a hopeful outlook on his prognosis. Another passenger introduced Jay to his dog when Jay brought him back home.

“Even though we only spent two hours together, we made a solid connection,” said Jay. “I didn’t think having that personal connection as a volunteer driver was possible.”

Not that he needed it, but Jay was extra motivated to help also after his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. After surgery and radiation, she is now cancer-free. Jay said he was grateful that his family was able to be with her through all of her appointments. He is now also lending his time as a Road To Recovery Volunteer Coordinator, helping new volunteer drivers come on board and helping to organize rides for Worcester county and is working to find more drivers to help cancer patients.

Jay said his experiences are also beneficial practice for talking with patients, as he plans to become a physician in the future.

“I can only imagine what it must be like to have to get to a large number of treatments without any transportation or even a family to support you,” said Jay. “Road To Recovery helps provide that vital access to care.”

For Road To Recovery information or to volunteer, visit Cancer.org/Driveor call 800-227-2345.