Mom stays positive for her son, Paul.

Paul is a 13-year-old that is friendly, adventurous, and always happy. He likes music and is learning to play the guitar and accordion. “He loves basketball, it’s his favorite sport,” his mom Hilda shares.

One day last year “Paul was playing a game of basketball, slipped, fell, and hit his knee. I took him in for checkup appointment as his knee was swollen and hurting from the fall. They gave him anti-inflammatory pills for his knee but the lump wouldn’t go down. I then took him to the hospital, and they ran more tests. They told me it was a tumor.”. Paul was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, in his leg.

Paul’s mom Hilda shares this advice with other parents.: “Have strength and stay positive for your child because as parents, we project that strength to the child.”

The strength and determination of a parent to do whatever it takes to help their child fight cancer are what led Hilda to seek treatment for her son outside of her home country. Paul’s family moved from their home in Mexico to the United States. They now live in California. Paul’s chemotherapy treatments were intense. He underwent a major 9-hour long knee surgery in August. The combination of chemotherapy and surgery has taken a toll on Paul’s body. and he is now required to be in a wheelchair with his legs positioned straight.

Transportation became a challenge after Paul’s surgery. “I don’t own a vehicle and the taxi transportation was not appropriate for his wheelchair. A different nonprofit that offered transportation was not flexible and required me to reserve my trip one week ahead. This was difficult because we wouldn’t know a day before or same day from the hospital when he needed to go inpatient for his cancer treatments”.

Hilda was hopeful when she got connected with Compass to Care shortly after Paul’s surgery in August. “Paul loves to travel with Compass to Care. The UberXL rides have allowed Paul to travel more secure and comfortable. He can keep his legs straight which causes him less pain. Thank you to you all, I feel a lot more calm, you all have provided a positive Uber experience”.

Because of our generous donors, and our partnership with Kaizen Health, Compass to Care can provide a more comfortable and safe mode of transportation by means of a larger size Uber as Paul travels to his cancer treatments.) Today, Paul and Hilda take one more Uber ride to the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles where Paul will go inpatient for his final chemotherapy. We celebrate this milestone with Paul and Hilda and his family as he completes his part of his cancer treatment.