BUDDY CHECK 3: Jane’s Ride Medical Transport benefits breast cancer patients in the Ozarks

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Breast cancer touches a lot of lives. Many times one person’s battle leaves a huge impact on many friends and family members.

It’s been 30 years since Chris Sanford lost his mom to breast cancer. Today, her legacy lives on in his new business you may have seen driving around the streets of Springfield and beyond.

Chris Sanford spends much of his time these days behind the wheel of “Jane’s Ride,” a medical transport service that bears his Mother’s name, Jane.

Sanford said he wanted to honor his mom and her life for ”who she was.”

Sanford was still in the Army when his mom told him her breast cancer had returned. He lost his mother soon after that at the age of 53. It’s a bittersweet memory of that time.

Sanford said it’s not just that particular memory, but everything that happens in life.

“She’s not around for your kids growing up and your grandkids and seeing them,” said Sanford.

While that grief never goes away, Sanford says the life experience always helped him in his work as an occupational therapist. But after 38 years, he says he was ready to channel his experience in a new way for people who need

“Total or partial care to get where they want to go,” said Sanford.

For instance, when Shelly Hall’s 92-year-old former mother-in-law broke her pelvis, she needed to be moved several times between hospitals and other facilities.

Hall said Sanford’s medical training played into her decision to use his service. She said knowing that he knew how to handle patients and not injure them in a move was very reassuring.

Jana Shetler also called Jane’s Ride when an elderly aunt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and needed to be taken to a home for hospice care.

Shetler said if you want the hospital to transport in a situation where it’s not a medical necessity, the hospital is going to charge somewhere between $1,300 to $1,500.

Sanford said Jane’s Ride transports to doctors’ appointments, nursing homes, hospital surgeries, and family events. He said he most recently took an older gentleman to a family.

Sanford can even transport people in a 600-mile radius. It can be a lifesaving service when family or friends aren’t equipped to move their loved ones safely. For Sanford, it’s a way to help people in the community and to always keep the memory of his mom close by.

Also in honor of his mother, Sanford donates a portion of his earnings to the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks to help other women battling breast cancer.

If you would like to sign up for Buddy Check 3, CLICK HERE to register.

We’ll send you a free packet of information. This is a joint project for KY3 with the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks, as well as Mercy and Cox hospitals.

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