CINCINNATI — No one travels this road alone. Along with a large pink ribbon, that motto is plastered on the side of three white minivans you might have noticed driving around Greater Cincinnati.
Those vehicles are on a mission: to ease the journey for those battling breast and gynecological cancer through free transportation to and from treatments.
Pink Ribbon Good is the nonprofit driving the effort. Founded in Cincinnati, it's now expanded nationwide, offering care and support to thousands of women who need it.
"I think when something like Pink Ribbon Good's vehicle shows up, I think they have a sense of comfort," Cincinnati regional Director Julie Miller said. "They know that they are going to be safe on the way to an appointment that they might have some anxiousness about or might be dreading, but they just have a loving, calming environment as they go there."
The organization is entirely run and operated by women, most of whom have their own cancer stories to tell. That's true for the Cincinnati transportation team. All three women are breast cancer survivors who chose to take their journeys and pay them forward.
"It was my first mammogram and they found a suspicious spot and I had to go back for another mammogram and I was getting the results and as I walked in she asked me where my people were, and I thought, 'My people? Why do I need people? Oh, snap. She's telling me I have cancer.' I was shocked. I was amazed. No family history. Nothing," Kathy Smith said. "I had a lumpectomy. I had radiation. I was lucky; we caught my cancer very early. So, I had, quote, an easier journey, but because of that journey I learned about this job."
Smith was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a pre-cancerous or non-invasive cancerous lesion of the breast. DCIS is classified as Stage 0.
She said she kept getting calls from PRG even after she was cancer-free. One day she answered the phone and asked what she could do for them.
"(The vice president) said, 'I need a driver' and so I asked what that entailed and she said, 'Getting people safely to appointments and picking them up at the house and just talking to them in the car' and I instantly said, 'I'd be terrible at that,'" Smith laughed. "And she said, I think you'd be wonderful!' And that's what started the journey. I've been driving for about two and a half years now and I love it."
Michelle Goode loves driving the white minivan too. Diagnosed with invasive carcinoma, she had 27 lymph nodes removed. She recently celebrated her 10th year as a breast cancer survivor.
Diane Spohr is a survivor of invasive triple-negative breast cancer, having undergone extensive treatment, including a bilateral mastectomy and chemotherapy. Spohr started driving for PRG in 2017. This November marks 22 years since her diagnosis.
Together, Smith, Goode and Sphor average about 15 roundtrips a week, helping nearly 30 clients each month navigate the challenging road of treatment and recovery.
"It's been wonderful. They're wonderful," Connie Daniels said. "(Kathy) made me feel really comfortable. We just got to talking and it was neverending."
Daniels was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in December 2023. She lives in North Carolina but has stayed with her sister in Clermont County while she receives treatment at the Barrett Cancer Center at UC Medical Center. A survivor, she finished chemotherapy in August and is halfway through radiation.
For most of her journey, Daniels struggled to find rides to her appointments. Without her own car, she said she would try to schedule several appointments a day to avoid having to make multiple trips.
As she was starting radiation three weeks ago, her doctor suggested she look into PRG and its free ride program.
"A lot of my family members work and so I'd be having to ask them to take off work — missing work — it'd just be crazy but the appointments are very important," Daniels said. "I'm having to go every day through the week and if I didn't have them, I don't know what I would do. I really don't."
Daniels is also food insecure, so PRG ensures she has healthy meals on her table.
"The meals are delicious," she said. "Very healthy and very delicious. Yeah, that's a big help. Sometimes you don't have the energy to do it and it's a big help."
In the Tri-State area last year, 19% of PRG clients reported being food insecure, while 23% were ride insecure and 55% were living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Additionally, 23% of the households served had children aged 18 or younger living in the home.
PRG provided services to 2,688 individuals in 1,115 households in 2023. The nonprofit served 50,794 healthy meals, 3,143 rides to treatment and 663 house-cleaning essentials.
"And (we) had 70 events that we had over 2,500 people attend because that's the community we're creating here," Miller said. "We are thrilled to be able to do that here in the Tri-State. All of our services are free of charge and that is because of the generosity of the community."
PRG will soon launch its Hope In Motion Tour, which aims to educate individuals through hands-on technology on breast and gynecological health. The tour will make three stops in Cincinnati.
"The logo of PRG is 'No one travels this road alone' and I think that's really important because when you get the "C" word, when it's personal, you feel alone, you feel isolated, but you're with a group of women and this organization and you're not alone," Smith said. "We laugh, we share out stories, we share our joys and we share the hard days too and the hard news. So, yeah share your story. Share your testimony."
