Tom Keith — Langley resident
A Little Piece of Everyone

For the past five years, Tom has volunteered as a driver with Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society, helping people get to and from cancer appointments, treatments, and procedures.

What began as giving someone a ride became something much more meaningful.

Over the years, Tom met many passengers, each with their own story, fears, and challenges. What stayed with him most was their strength and courage—the way they continued to face each new day, even when things were difficult.

As drivers, we often think about what we are giving when we volunteer. For Tom, it was his time, a safe ride, and a little companionship along the way.

But somewhere along the way, he realized he was receiving something, too. Very seldom did Tom and his passengers talk about cancer or treatment. Instead, conversations naturally turned to family, travel, work, hobbies, and everyday life. Even when the conversation lasted only for the length of a trip, a connection could develop.

Those connections became some of the most rewarding parts of volunteering for Tom.

Then, three months ago, Tom was diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly, he found himself on the other side of the experience, facing uncertainty, procedures, waiting, and questions about what comes next.

It was a very different perspective. For five years, his passengers had been teaching him without ever realizing it.

He had seen their courage when they were frightened, their determination when treatment was difficult, and their ability to find humour and hope even on hard days. He had listened to their stories and watched how they faced each new challenge.

When his own diagnosis came, Tom found himself drawing on those lessons.

“Their strength became a source of strength for me.”

Tom thought he was volunteering his time to help people through a difficult period in their lives. He never expected that the people he was driving would leave such a lasting impression on him, or that what he witnessed during those rides would become meaningful in his own life.

“I will always be grateful for the privilege of having driven those passengers.”

The connections he made, the stories he heard, and the courage he witnessed have stayed with him.

Now, as Tom faces his own cancer journey, he carries a little piece of every one of them with him.