Living in the San Juan Islands, surrounded by so much natural beauty and strong community is a gift and a privilege, but also comes with a unique challenge—mainly transportation.
A cancer diagnosis is one that no individual wants to receive, especially when some treatment is accessible only on the mainland, but there’s a network of support across the San Juans to help ease the burden of travel and help get patients to where they need to be.
San Juan Island
The Cancer Care Center at Peace Island Medical Center has brought services once only available off-island to Friday Harbor.
The center provides infusion and specialty services, chemotherapies, biologic medications, specialized injections, blood transfusions, central line maintenance and labs, prophylactic phlebotomies, chemo education, and chemo survivorship appointments by teleconference.
The Medical Center recently began providing reiki, reflexology and jin shin to its patients during infusion, at no extra cost. The service is possible through a grant from San Juan Community Foundation. PIMC also provides free taxi rides, between the ferry and the hospital, in partnership with Round Towner Taxi Service.
Soroptomist International of Friday Harbor also help coordinate transportation for patients seeking care outside of PIMC services. The Cancer Treatment Transportation Project provides ferry tickets and transportation by car. Soroptomists also coordinates with the San Juan Eagles to provide flights. Contact Julie Hanks at 317-5086 or visit www.sifri.org.
San Juan Eagles pilot and coordinator Vicky Thalacker started the non-profit flight program in 2001. The group provides about 200 flights between San Juan Island and the mainland each year.
“We get the patient over there, into treatment, and back home so they can heal,” Thalacker said. “It’s pretty huge for a lot of people because they may need to take care of their family or job.”
The group’s pilots are all volunteers, paying for everything themselves, and “do it out of the goodness of their hearts,” Thalacker said. To contact the Eagles, call 378-4578.
Lopez Island
Lopez Island Hospice and Home Support is an all-volunteer organization offering grief and caregiver support groups, as well as rental equipment, such as wheelchairs, walkers and shower benches. Call 378-4474 or email admin@lihhs.org.
Orcas Island
Orcas Island Mercy Flights have several pilots that happily take to the sky to fly cancer patients to medical appointments, thereby reducing hours-long ferry and vehicle travel to mere minutes.
Pilots mostly fly patients requiring radiation treatment to either Friday Harbor, Bellingham, Mount Vernon or Anacortes. Fuel costs range from $35-$50, and pilots can be reimbursed half the expense from a fuel-fund supported by donations. All pilots are volunteers, and more are always needed.
“We love to have pilots who want to do something to make them feel really good,” Mercy Flights Coordinator Audrey Wells said. “It’s very rewarding.”
Mercy flight pilots go above and beyond, too. Sometimes they take patients beyond the 25-mile radius for flights, and other times provide ground transportation if the weather prevents flying.
For more about Mercy Flights, or to arrange a flight call 376-3201 or 317-4086.
The Orcas Island Cancer Support Group, led by Bogdan and Carol Kulminski meets the second Thursday of each month at Orcas Island Community Church, 5-6 p.m.
The support group offers a confidential atmosphere where patients, survivors, caregivers and family members can voice fears and concerns openly. The group strives to create a positive atmosphere, where participants will leave feeling elevated.
“We try to work on the hope part,” Bogdan Kulminski said. “We want to keep people up.”
Call 376-4198 to find out more.
Also on Orcas, Lahari, a hospice facility, supports in-home care funded through grants. Recipients include cancer patients and Lahari offers free caregiver classes every quarter. For details call 1-888-685-1475 or visit www.laharionorcas.org.
Many of these organizations work together to help local residents receive the care they need. Those living on outer islands are encouraged to contact these organizations for assistance.
All of the non-profits mentioned rely on donations and fundraisers to continue providing services to cancer patients. To donate, contact the organization at the contact numbers provided above.
