‘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.”

Driver’s ‘Little Buddy’ In Line for Kidney Transplant

Pat Flynn has provided Jose with two Angel Bus trips in his big, beautiful rig. The best trip will be on the day Jose goes to get a new kidney.

The day that shouldn’t have to come came on October 24, 2011 to eight-year-old Jose. It was the day his mother dreaded, the day he began dialysis for stage five chronic kidney disease.

Jose was born with a congenital defect found only in male infants, posterior urethral valve. This is an abnormality causing obstruction of urinary flow. Unfortunately, doctors failed to detect it in time, and the boy’s kidney function progressively declined, leading to the need for home dialysis. This meant surgically installing an abdominal catheter, a device that uses the lining of the abdomen to filter waste products from the blood. Dialysis occurs overnight, which means Jose has to be in bed by 8:00 on school nights, and 9 on weekends. And this is what made Jose cry and ask the heartbreaking question, “When am I going to be normal?”

“I’ve always treated my children the same,” his mother said. Besides Jose, Jennifer has a 10-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son. “I’ve never let him know he’s different. But now it’s hitting him that he is. He used to share a room with his brother, but now he has to have his own room because of the machines. He feels lonely.” The third-grader has also missed many days of school due to his illness and must leave his class every two hours to empty his catheter.