‘Not Enough Thanks to Go Around’ for Angel Bus
By Taylor Allen, Intern, Virginia Wesleyan College
It started as any regular doctor’s appointment for Ruben A., of Sullivan County, New York. “I told my doctor that I was having a lot of discomfort in doing normal day- to-day activities,” said Ruben, 68. After he explained his problem, his doctor did a PSA test. The test measures the blood level of the PSA, a protein produced by a man’s prostate. The higher the PSA, the more likely it is he has cancer. At the time of his appointment, Ruben’s PSA was about a 5, which is slightly high.
At this point his doctor recommended he get a biopsy and referred him to a specialist in Middletown, New York, about 60 miles away from his house. When Ruben got the results back, he was faced with a harsh reality—he had prostate cancer. This doctor referred him to the Orange Regional Medical Center’s Radiation Oncology Center for radiation treatments. Ruben was now faced with a dilemma. “I live on a fixed income,” he explained. “I could not afford to drive back and forth, 120 miles a day, in order to receive treatment. So I asked the Orange Regional Medical Center for options on how to help, and they led me to Angel Bus.”
When Ruben was researching the different transportation options, he said he contacted many of them, but either they couldn’t help or didn’t return his calls. “I spoke with Jim Smith, and Angel Bus seemed like a godsend. I cannot remember the exact number, but Angel Bus provided me with at least four gas cards to get back and forth to my treatments.”

