This Story of Love begins with a pancreatic cancer diagnosis and turns in to a beautiful tribute that renews our hope in the resilience of the human spirit ...
When Zach Bolster's mom discovered she had pancreatic cancer, their whole world was turned upside down. And it quickly spiraled out of control as her health deteriorated and she subsequently passed away just 5 short weeks after her diagnosis.
Zach shares that his mom, Gloria, was the glue that held his family together. As soon as he heard her news, he left his job in New York City and returned home to North Carolina to be with her.
For Gloria, the journey began with a pain in her shoulder. She thought it was a pulled muscle, but the truth was so much worse.
Although they had no idea how long she had left, they knew it wasn't a good prognosis. But, 5 weeks... it wasn't nearly long enough.
While home with her, Zach, his wife and other family members went with Gloria to all her appointments and chemotherapy treatments. It was during these trips that Zach made a disheartening discovery.
"My family was shocked by how many cancer patients had difficulty getting to their chemotherapy treatments. We soon realized what a huge financial and family burden transportation can be during cancer treatments. Some patients resorted to riding the bus, others, unfortunately, missed their treatment altogether."
In an effort to make a difference, Zach began volunteering as a driver for patients who needed help getting to treatment. He and his family soon realized this was a cumbersome task at best, his older sister joking that offering the patients Uber rides would be so much simpler.
Zach had to agree she was right.
And ChemoCars was born.
Using their own money, Zach and his wife started ChemoCars. It uses software that integrates with Uber and Lyft to arrange safe, on-demand rides for cancer patients to and from their treatments. They also work with cancer treatment centers to identify patients who might need this helping hand.
Currently it is available only in Charlotte, NC and Amarillo, Texas. The company is growing and hopes to someday be available nationwide.
It is a gift born from their deepest sorrow. I know that Gloria must be so proud of her family.
And the beautifully poignant part of this story is that when you call for a ride from ChemoCar, you are calling his mom's old cell phone #.
You, Bolster family, are paying it forward in the most beautiful of ways!
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