No Mercy for Cancer Patients.

Think about this;  you have been diagnosed with cancer, you must get treatment, and the hospital where that treatment will take place is an hour and a half commute from where you live. 

You do not have the option of city transit, you must find someone who will drive you to and from your daily radiation and /or chemotherapy sessions. 

If you are fortunate enough to have a spouse or a partner who can drive you there, that is a plus.  If not you must try and find someone who can take time out of their daily routine to help you out.

  The Cancer Society has made the effort to provide volunteer drivers for those who cannot,  but if you do not live within the greater Toronto area or (GTA) than you will be hard-pressed to find a volunteer near where you live.  This can be a great headache for many who live in rural areas and some have had to delay treatment until they can find some type of accommodation within the city, or a driver to assist them.

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre provides excellent treatment for those suffering with cancer; and provides state-of-the-art quality care to all who are referred to them.  That being said,  Sunnybrook is severely lacking when it comes to caring for those who must commute daily for treatments.

Sunnybrook has no parking areas designated for those who must attend cancer treatments daily.  The parking lots are out-sourced to a private company, and this is where the problem lies.  This private company has no sympathy whatsoever for those who are suffering.  In fact,  they have security guards scouting the property like vultures just looking for someone to tag!  It is very disturbing to stay the least! 

Imagine the cost of having to commute to Sunnybrook, five days a week for three months of treatment!Sunnybrook makes you pay for parking expenses on top of  the out of pocket expenses for gasoline and wear and tear on your vehicle.  Is this stress part of the treatment?  Is worrying about the exorberant parking ticket you receive when doctors are behind schedule suppose to be good for you?

I think not!  Why has Sunnybrook let this go on for so many years?  I am sure my observations have been noted by many others,  and I bet there have been complaints regarding the parking dilemma faced by cancer patients.

Not everyone comes by TTC!  Not everyone has unlimited funds to pay for expensive parking on a daily basis!   There seems to be no mercy for those living with cancer and trying to fight it.

Sunnybrook needs to take a long hard look at the facts, and change the way they treat cancer patients, in their hospital and out-side of their hospital!

There should be a pass made available for those who must commute from out of town.  There should be designated parking spaces made available for those patients; so they do not have to worry about getting ticketed while undergoing treatment!

It is the right thing to do!

Written by, Sandra Lynn  January 28th, 2008