Empire Service RAILS TO RECOVERY
Amtrak Helps You Travel
for Medical Treatment
L
ast November Albany retiree Joanne
Russell was diagnosed with bladder
cancer, and her local oncologist
recommended her for a six-week
clinical trial treatment program at
New York-Presbyterian/Columbia Univer-
sity Medical Center. “There were still a few
spots in the program, so I had to decide
fast. I had to travel down three days a week
for six weeks,” Joanne says.
A friend suggested that she contact
Amtrak Government Affairs Officer Bill
Hollister, who is based at the Albany-Rensse-
laer Station and founded Amtrak’s Empire Service Rails to Recovery
program. “We chatted, and he said, ‘Go on the Internet and apply,’
so I did,” Joanne recalls. She qualified for the program, and was able
to ride comfortably back and forth to Penn Station at a significant
discount, accompanied by her daughter, Jody DeMarco, an Albany
schoolteacher, as well as by friends and other family members.
For families faced with critical illness, traveling for specialized
medical care can be financially and emotionally challenging. Rails
to Recovery addresses these challenges by providing qualifying
passengers with a Buy One, Get One Free discount on Amtrak
Empire Service trains.
“I traveled down on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for six
weeks,” says Joanne. “On January 27, I got a call from Dr. James
McKnight, who ran the clinical trial, that my latest tests had come
back clean, and I was cancer free. It was my birthday, and that was
the last thing I expected. I said, ‘That is the best present anyone
could ever give me.’ It was such a surprise.”
Since 2014, Amtrak has partnered with the
Albany-based nonprofit organization Voices of
Hope to facilitate travel for patients who register
online with one of 26 participating agencies,
including the American Cancer Society,
American Heart Association, and Ronald
McDonald House of the Capital Region. Voices
of Hope is a consortium of nonprofit
organizations located throughout the
Capital Region that exchanges resources
and ideas in order to bring hope and
services to children and families touched by
life-altering conditions.
So far, more than 500 trips have been
facilitated through Rails to Recovery.
“Amtrak has provided a tremendous
opportunity and an invaluable service to
our Voices of Hope families throughout the
Capital Region and across New York State,”
says Voices of Hope Chair and Co-Founder
Sandy Nardoci, who also is one of many
Joanne Russell
volunteers running the organization’s
programs.
Joanne stayed at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge
Jerome L. Green Family Center, located on Seventh Avenue near
Penn Station, while having treatment. She says Rails to Recovery
made her overall experience less stressful.
“Going from Albany-Rensselaer to Penn Station is a beautiful
2.5-hour ride,” she says. “I hadn’t been on a train in years, and it
couldn’t have been made any easier for someone like me, who
doesn’t know New York City.”
Since completing the clinical trial, Joanne continues to travel via
Rails to Recovery to New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University
Medical Center once a month for checkups. In the meantime, she is
focused on making sure to express her gratitude to all of the people
who helped with her recovery.
“I had people come with me who I didn’t ever expect to say they
could help, but they all said, ‘We’re there if you need us.’ God just
gave me all these angels,” Joanne says. “I kept a journal during the
treatment, and everybody wrote in it how I was. I
wanted to thank everyone the best way I could,
so I did a video thanking them, and had everyone
who helped come up to my house to see it.”
For more information, visit voicesofthecapital-
region.org. Once registered with Voices of Hope,
passengers can access Amtrak.com through the
Voices of Hope website.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: THIS OFFER IS VALID FOR ONE (1) FREE COMPANION RAIL FARE WITH THE PURCHASE
OF ONE (1) REGULAR (FULL) ADULT RAIL FARE. THIS OFFER IS EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE AT WWW.VOICESOFTHE-
CAPITALREGION.ORG. THIS OFFER IS VALID FOR SALE 28APR16–27APR18 AND VALID FOR TRAVEL 01MAY16–30APR18.
BLACKOUTS APPLY ON THE FOLLOWING DATES: 13–14APR17, 17APR17, 26MAY17, 29MAY17, 01SEP17, 04SEP17,
09OCT17, 21–22NOV17, 25–27NOV17, 22–24DEC17, 29–31DEC17, 02JAN18, 16FEB18, 19FEB18, 30MAR18 AND 02APR18.
ADVANCE RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED A MINIMUM OF THREE (3) DAYS PRIOR TO TRAVEL. THIS OFFER
IS VALID FOR TRAVEL WITHIN THE STATE OF NEW YORK ONLY. THIS OFFER IS VALID FOR TRAVEL ON THE FOLLOWING
TRAINS: ADIRONDACK, EMPIRE SERVICE, ETHAN ALLEN EXPRESS, AND MAPLE LEAF. UP TO 2 CHILDREN AGES (2–12)
MAY ACCOMPANY EACH ADULT AT HALF THE REGULAR (FULL) ADUL T RAIL FARE. THIS OFFER IS VALID FOR COACH
SEATS ONLY; NO BUSINESS CLASS UPGRADES PERMITTED. SEATING IS LIMITED; SEATS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE ON
ALL DAYS. FARES ARE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. THE FREE COMPANION AND FULL FARE PASSENGER MUST
TRAVEL TOGETHER ON THE SAME ITINERARY AND HAVE TICKETS ISSUED TOGETHER. THE COMPANION IS SUBJECT
TO THE SAME RESTRICTIONS AND CONDITIONS AS THE FULL FARE PASSENGER. THIS OFFER IS NOT COMBINABLE
WITH ANY OTHER DISCOUNT OFFER. IN ADDITION TO THE DISCOUNT RESTRICTIONS; THIS OFFER IS ALSO SUBJECT
TO ANY RESTRICTIONS, BLACKOUTS, AND REFUND RULES THAT APPLY TO THE TYPE OF FARE PURCHASED. FARES,
ROUTES AND SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. ONCE TRAVEL HAS BEGUN; NO CHANGES
TO THE ITINERARY ARE PERMITTED. OTHER RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY. AMTRAK, ADIRONDACK, MAPLE LEAF,
ETHAN ALLEN EXPRESS, AND EMPIRE SERVICE ARE REGISTERED SERVICE MARKS OF THE NATIONAL RAILROAD
PASSENGER CORPORATION.
12 | New York By Rail
(TRAIN) PHOTOGRAPHED BY NICK WILSON
RAILS TO RECOVERY