BUFFALO, N.Y. — Getting a cancer diagnosis can be earth-shattering enough. Adding onto that is the difficulty that sometimes specialized hospitals can be hours away.

Transportation to those hospitals can be a serious burden for both cancer patients and cancer survivors.

For Thomas Buman, it started in July 2021. He felt groggy. Two months later, it was worse and he went to his doctor in Corning.

Within hours, the diagnosis was clear: acute myeloid leukemia. He needed to be rushed to the hospital in Buffalo.

“I looked at the doctor and I said, ‘can I just go home and sleep and drive up in the morning?’ And he looked right back at me and said, ‘do you want to live or die,’” said Buman.

When it comes to cancer, timing is key.

“I was to the point where I could have had a heart attack or stroke at any minute,” Buman recalled.

Transportation plays a big role in that.

Dr. Changchuan Jiang says he's seen the impacts firsthand.

“I used to work in New York City where transportation was not a big deal,” Jiang said. “Then I moved to Buffalo and transportation can be a hurdle to the patient's care.”

Buman drives two and a half hours to get to Roswell Park.

Some patients drive more, but even local transit can be a burden.

“Some cancer patient are weaker than usual,” Jiang noted. “They need a car ride and a bus would be something that'll be hard for them to take.”

It continues with cancer survivors.

Jiang recently published a study showing survivors are more than twice as likely to face transportation barriers than those with no cancer history, especially those who are young or those on Medicaid. 

Among Medicaid users, one in six patients reported issues.

“This suggests a lot of patients may not know the available resources to them, or that Medicaid is not providing the resources in a way that a patient likes,” said Jiang.

“I’m the bald guy right there. That was when I was going through chemo,” said Buman, pointing to a family picture.

Buman has been in remission since October, but he’ll likely be coming back for the rest of his life.

“To get here without a car I wouldn’t be able to do it,” said Buman.

He has a great support system and resources like Kevin’s Guest House, which houses patients and family of patients getting care at local hospitals, helps a lot, but it’s never perfect.

“You'll hear an individual say, ‘well I missed this appointment cause I couldn't get transportation to get here,’ and they had to reschedule the appointment,” Buman said.

Chuan wants to see better insurance coverage, maybe even for Ubers or Lyfts, and education about those benefits.

“It’s always gonna be a part of my life now,” said Buman, looking at the hospitals surrounding him.

Better resources and information mean people like Buman can focus on their treatment and recovery and not worry about how they’re getting there.

Roswell Park’s social work team does work with people who have transportation issues.

The director there, Brian Braun, sent a statement saying:

"We know there can be many barriers for cancer patients that may make it difficult for them to get the care they need. We as Social Work professionals try to work very closely with our patients to make sure we know what hardships or difficulties they're going through so we can route them, on a case-by-case basis, to any supportive programs or resources that exist.”

Kevin’s Guest House, where Buman stays, isn’t the only resource available.

The American Cancer Society offers things like the Hope Lodge and Road to Recovery.

And they’re investing $125,000 in transportation grants and $100,000 in lodging grants to health care systems throughout Upstate New York this year.