More than a Ride: A Journey of Volunteering

By: Randall Weers, ISR Medical Transportation Driver

Edited by: Bailey Todd, ISR Program Manager

When I became a volunteer medical transport driver for Island Senior Resources, I had no idea how deeply it would touch my life. I simply wanted to help my Island neighbors get to their essential medical appointments. What I found was so much more; an abundance of stories and lives shared. Too many stories for me to hold solely in my mind, but all of them forever held in my heart.

There was the 93-year-old client who reminisced about when he was just four years old, living on what is now called Columbia Beach, where strawberry fields stretched as far as the eye could see. This was long before the Clinton Ferry Terminal or Highway 525 existed. He shared memories of harvesting strawberries with his family, packing the berries into barrels and hauling them by horse and wagon along Campbell Road to Langley, where the Mosquito Fleet ferries would carry their harvest to markets all around the Island. I felt honored to be aware of how life was different back then.

Then there was the artist who believed that by cooking hotdogs and hamburgers, she sparked the idea of a restaurant at the Greenbank General Store; simply because she thought having food upstairs would help get people up to see her artwork. Smart marketing for her and maybe a meaningful business expansion for the Store.

I also met two clients who shared a ride because their appointments were aligned, only for them to discover that years ago, their paths had crossed in the aviation industry. A beautiful reminder of how connected our lives can be.

One significant experience will remain with me forever. Just one year after becoming a volunteer, I began driving a client from Oak Harbor to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Over time, we shared more than 65 rides together, every other week, as I helped her have access to life-saving treatments. During our rides together, I learned about her fierce passion for helping children in the foster care system, a legacy of compassion that carried over from her being a social worker. She devoted herself to making sure these children never felt alone, hosting an annual “Click Arts Camp” where foster children could find connection and joy through the arts.

When I first met her in October 2021, her prognosis was uncertain. But she was determined not to let her rare carcinoma stop the camp from being an on-going concern. She fought to receive treatment closer to home in Seattle, reducing an exhausting nearly twelve-hour round-trip to Portland where a clinical trial was offering a potential cure, to under four hours. And with that strength, she survived to be able to see her vision come to fruition for at least one more camp.

Nearly three years after our relationship began, when her treatments were no longer working and she accepted that her time was near, she asked me to be her driver for what might be her last great adventure. Together with her boyfriend, we traveled to visit her lifelong friend in Soap Lake and then go on to explore Yellowstone National Park, a place rich with memories and meaning for her boyfriend, but a place she had not yet had the chance to experience. Experiencing the park through her eyes and their relationship, knowing this would be her final journey, gave me a new perspective on life’s preciousness and the strength that can be found when we embrace every moment and the people that share our lives with us.

I never imagined that volunteering would provide such profound stories and connections. Driving my fellow Islanders to their appointments has given far more than anticipated; both for me and my passengers. Volunteering has shown me that sometimes the greatest gifts come when we open our hearts and share our journeys with one and other.

Island Senior Resources supports those in need. Sometimes it is about a ride to a medical appointment. Sometimes it is about a nutritious meal. Sometimes it is for those of us who are seeking to make a meaningful contribution to our community. When I think about my needs, I have discovered what I needed most was the chance to be of service to my fellow Islanders. I chose to be a volunteer medical transportation driver with ISR to help my neighbors have access to medical care. What I found was that the rides I shared with my neighbors were more than just the rides we took together. They have been discoveries of the journeys of many lifetimes. I am grateful to have been a part of the journeys that have been shared and hopeful that ISR will continue to have funds to coordinate transports such that I get to share more journeys together with my neighbors.

To my neighbors, why not take the next step and become a volunteer? It doesn’t have to be complicated. You’ll be surprised how quickly that sense of fulfillment starts to grow once you’re involved. If your calendar is packed but your heart’s open, consider donating instead. Local organizations like ISR count on support from neighbors; your contribution truly helps others make a difference every day. No gesture is too small; every dollar invested in community care creates a brighter tomorrow for all of us.