CHARLOTTE, N.C. — While Angela Baker battles her own cancer diagnosis, she also goes to battle for others.
"They're like...you can't do this right now," said Baker. "I'm like, 'Of course I can. Where's your faith? God's going to cover me, and I'm going to cover these patients and get them to their appointments."
Baker has stage IV breast cancer, and amid the coronavirus pandemic, she's still out, driving other cancer survivors who don't have the means to get to their appointments.
"Those people still need rides, access to care is a huge barrier," said Baker.
Those rides come through Baker's non-profit Angel in Disguise, but it's so much more than transportation.
Since 2015, Baker has walked by women's sides as they go to the doctor, held their hands, and watched over their kids.
"Every time I call on her, she's there for me. It's a very special kindred friendship," said Regina Brand, one of Baker's patients, or "VIDAS," as she calls them--from the Spanish word for "life."
Brand says Baker has been there for her for years and would pick up her daughters when the single mother was running late with a cancer appointment or drained from her illness.
"She'll always check up on me, and, if I'm feeling down, she's the one who kind of motivates me and... lights a fire under me," said Brand. "She says you can't live a life of fear. You have to live every day like there's no tomorrow."
And that's precisely what Baker does. Yes, the coronavirus has changed how she does things, but it hasn't stopped her fight.
"I'm out here in the streets with COVID. I'm an essential worker, and I'm just blessed, and I don't fear," said Brand.
To learn more about Angel in Disguise, visit the organization's website here.
Thank you to Andrea S. for reaching out on Nextdoor with this story. To send Vanessa an idea, visit her profile on Nextdoor and send her a message.