Hail to the Bus Drivers

When the Lady Cilento Children’s hospital opened in late November 2014, it meant that all regional families staying in Brisbane during their child’s treatment must now travel across town from Herston to Southbank.

For many families, this reality would be a major and costly obstacle. Taxis and public transport for children undergoing treatment are not options due to risk of infection and most families have no access to their own car. For those that do, parking fees at the new hospital are exorbitant and street parking is very limited.

After weeks of advocating to Children’s Health Queensland for a bus service to be provided for oncology families, it was concluded that there would be no funding coming from CHQ.

With growing concerns for the wellbeing of their families, Childhood Cancer Support put its foot down. On the 1^st of December, CCS kick-started it’s self-funded pick up and drop off service to and from the new hospital. This service has become known for being the only available transport open to all oncology families – no matter where they are staying – that runs all day, Monday to Friday, and is free of charge. Unlike the LCCH bus that runs mornings only, the Childhood Cancer Support bus service operates one with wheelchair access and one without.

And this is where Ray Garza and Scott Prenzler come in. With extremely limited notice, Ray and Scott got to work immediately, and have been diligently transporting our families around town ever since.

Ray and Scott are well-known for their ability to lighten the mood and make people laugh, and are a very popular duo amongst the families. Their empathy, generosity and hard-working attitudes have earned them significant credit within the organisation, and we are extremely grateful for stepping up when our families were left in the lurch.