SendaRide Care Partner

For the past two and a half years, I have been driving cancer patients from central Arkansas to their treatment appointments at CARTI by being a Care Partner for the company SendaRide. A year ago, I wrote this article and sent it to Women’s World Magazine for one of their weekly columns. The magazine stopped that column, so it was never published. I thought that it would make a good blog post. I kept it most of the way it was worded a year ago, so some of the items might have changed since I wrote it in March 2023 about becoming a SendaRide Care Partner in March 2022.

 

 

I use my experience as a cancer survivor to give rides and hope to current patients going through cancer treatments

“This job looks interesting,” Leslie Smith Doan, thought to herself. The job was a for driver service company that provides rides for patients to their medical appointments. Leslie, a 22-year Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Survivor and widow, who retired in 2015 from her career as a Technical Writer, was scrolling through her email when a job advertised as “Good for caregivers” appeared. Leslie, who also assists her father in caring for her 81-year-old mother, suffering from Dementia and Alzheimer’s, was seeking a part-time job as a supplement to her social security payments.

Company Information

SendaRide https://www.sendaride.com/  founded in 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, provides customized, concierge Nonemergency Medical Transport (NEMT) for the Healthcare Industry. Their technology empowers hospitals, providers, health plans, independent living centers and family members with the ability to book on-demand and scheduled transportation for someone else. Currently the company serves 14 cities in four States: Oklahoma; Texas; Florida and Arkansas.

“I submitted to be a Care Partner in the Central Arkansas area for the CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock. After passing an interview, background check and vehicle inspection, I began driving for SendaRide in March 2022 using my own vehicle, a four door Jeep Patriot. Because I have been through both chemotherapy and radiation therapy, I offer water bottles and small snacks to the patients in case they want to take them to their treatments. I also like to provide a personalized touch, such as giving out Christmas cards and candy canes during the holidays.”

Technology Helps With Rides

“I use an app supplied by the company to see available jobs and keep up with the rides that I apply for. Each ride is offered at an already determined rate and varies by the distance driven. I work as an Independent Contractor, which means that I am self-employed and I can claim mileage on my individual tax return. One of the practices that sets us apart from Uber or Lyft is that all drivers meet the patients at their front door and escort them to and from their appointments. I enjoy meeting new people and hope I can also brighten their day. In fact, I was selected as “Rookie of the Month” when I first started with the company! By driving a couple of days each week, I have earned extra money that is then deposited weekly in my bank account.”

Benefits of Being a SendaRide Care Partner

“The money I make by driving for SendaRide is used to help pay bills and the flexible schedule allows me to visit my two young adult daughters who both live out of town, travel, maintain my blog leslieinlittlerock.com and continue my love of Background Acting.”

 

My Thoughts Today

In reading these words, I realized although the practice of driving patients has stayed the same, I have changed. When I first started driving in March 2022, my mother was still alive but suffering from dementia. She passed away on April 29, 2022, about a month after I started with SendaRide.I have driven patients who I learned later passed away. I have given away food and clothes and helped patients with getting assistance. I’ve also driven through a few fast-food drive thrus so a hungry patient can have something to eat as I drive them home. For the time being, I think I will remain driving a few times each week. And continue to spread hope to those still fighting cancer.