DENVER — For Mark Tipton, driving cancer patients to medical appointments is a way to honor both his late brother's and his mother’s legacy.
Tipton, a retired engineer who moved to Colorado from New Orleans in 2023, has quickly become one of the American Cancer Society’s most active Road to Recovery volunteers. In just his first year, Tipton completed an astounding 175 rides, earning him the distinction of being one of the top 100 Road to Recovery drivers nationwide.
The Road to Recovery program connects volunteer drivers with cancer patients who need transportation to and from medical appointments, helping to eliminate one of the major barriers many patients face.
“You do what fits in your schedule. You do locations that fit for you,” Tipton said. “Because of the connections I had with cancer, I thought this was a good fit.”
Tipton’s commitment to the program is rooted in personal experience. Two decades ago, he lost his only sibling, Carl, to pancreatic cancer. But his introduction to Road to Recovery goes back even further to his mother.
While searching for volunteer opportunities after retiring, Tipton discovered Road to Recovery on VolunteerMatch. The name immediately triggered a memory. Just months earlier, while preparing to sell his mother’s home in Kentucky, Tipton had found a certificate she had received nearly 30 years ago for providing 100 rides through the same program.
“I realized my mother had done this back home in Kentucky long before my brother was diagnosed,” Tipton said. “That really resonated with me. It felt like a way to continue something she started.”
Today, Tipton drives patients from across the Denver metro area, including Robert Velarde, a colon cancer patient who lives in Aurora and receives treatment at Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers in Denver. For each appointment, Tipton drives roughly four hours round trip.
“It’s comforting to have somebody to talk to who understands my situation,” Velarde said. “It makes a big difference. I know it’s not easy for them to come to take me, but I appreciate that they’re willing to do it.”
Before connecting with Tipton, Velarde often faced two-hour bus rides to reach his appointments. The American Cancer Society says volunteers like Tipton are essential to ensuring patients stay on schedule with treatments.
“Going to all your treatments is the number one indicator of successful treatment outcomes,” said Kelly Moran, Vice President for the American Cancer Society in Colorado and Utah. “For patients to have someone as dedicated as Mark, it’s a lifeline.”
In Colorado alone, Road to Recovery provided 2,400 rides last year. However, Moran said that more drivers are urgently needed, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when volunteer numbers dropped.
“We feel so lucky to have Mark here in Colorado,” Moran added. “His dedication is so admirable and truly makes a difference in people’s lives.”
For Tipton, the benefits go both ways.
“It also helps you keep things in perspective,” Tipton said. “It makes you appreciate your own health that we take for granted all the time.”
His compassionate service earned him recognition as a Denver7 Everyday Hero.
“It’s been rewarding for me,” Tipton said. “It’s not only good for them but good for me too.”
The American Cancer Society continues to seek new volunteers for the Road to Recovery program. Volunteers can sign up and learn more by visiting their website.
Denver7 features a different Everyday Hero each week. To nominate a hero in your life, click here.