MANSFIELD, Texas — For several months, Judith Weber, a 78-year-old cancer survivor from Mansfield, has been volunteering as a driver, taking cancer patients to or from their treatments in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
She signed up for the American Cancer Society Road to Recovery program. It provides free rides to appointments. According to ACS, transportation barriers are the top reason for missed cancer appointments.
From personal experience, Weber knows how crucial each appointment is. In May 2021, she was diagnosed with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
"It was very advanced, stage four plus," Weber said. "My survival was 5% chance of survival."
As much as she accepted the news, she wanted to fight. Her doctors and her daughters wanted her to try too.
Weber has three daughters, Alison Farnell, Missy McGarr and Tina Silcocks.
"The three of us kind of just went into action," Farnell said.
One of them always stayed with Weber during her eight months of treatment. Weber had six rounds of chemotherapy. Her daughters drove her to appointments, picked up her medication and created a schedule to be with her at all times.
Feeling fortunate to have support from her family, Weber saw many patients who didn't have support at the hospital. She doesn't want cancer patients to feel alone, which is why she signed up for Road To Recovery.
Weber says during her drives with the patients, she can relate to them and provide hope, having beat cancer herself.
"It's important to these people that have cancer to see that they get to their appointments, get their chemo and get their treatment," Weber said. "I would urge everyone, if they have a couple hours a month, to sign up for it."
Volunteering for the American Cancer Society's Road To Recovery is Weber's way of celebrating her life, cancer-free.