CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Angels often appear with two wings. Dee Kannon arrives on four wheels.
As a volunteer for the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program, the Chesterfield great-grandmother delivers precious cargo.
She picks up and drops off passengers who need treatment for cancer, but do not have their own means of transportation.
“I get more out of this than they do. I want to show people there is hope," Dee said. "I want them to know that they’re not walking alone. They’re on a journey and up and down many hills but I want them to know they can get through this."
Dee knows the effects of cancer all too well. Her husband Dave lost his four-month battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2009.
He was 56 years old.
“We’d been married 35 years,” Dee said. “We thought everything would be OK. We never thought about him passing away.”
His death devastated Dee.
“I came very close to taking a handful of pills one night. I thought ‘I can’t do this,’” Dee said.
And then 10 months later, the unthinkable.
The first of three different cancer diagnosis.
"So I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009,” she said.
Colon Rectal and Melanoma would follow.
But Dee would beat each one, making a full recovery each time.
“So when I got healthy I said. Its time. It’s time to give back,” she said.
The 68-year-old survivor knew she couldn’t run away from cancer.
So she's given nearly 300 rides to other during her seven years as a volunteer.
“I want to do it. I need to do it for me. It makes me a happy person,” Dee said.
Patient George Shelton appreciates Dee’s kindness.
“It helps a lot to know that she has already been through it. She is an inspiration to me,” he said. “Our friendship is going to last forever. She is a wonderful person."
Dee Kannon providing a lift when friends need it most.
“People say you’re doing something that you’re not even getting paid to do. I say, ‘Oh yeah. Oh yeah.’ I’m getting paid right in my heart,” she said.
Call 1-800-227-2345 if you want to volunteer for the Road to Recovery. The phone number can also be contacted by a patient or a caregiver if they need a ride to treatment.
There is also an online form for new volunteers to complete.
Watch CBS 6 News at 6 p.m. Thursdays for Greg McQuade's "Heroes Among Us" reports. If you know of someone CBS 6 should should feature, email heroes@wtvr.com
Watch CBS 6 News at 6 p.m. Thursdays for Greg McQuade's "Heroes Among Us" profiles. If you know of someone CBS 6 should should feature, email heroes@wtvr.com. Click here to view more "Heroes Among Us" reports.
