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“I’m devastated,” she said. “I had cancer and I just wanted to give back to the community.”

The 58-year-old woman does not want to be identified by name, because she relies on provincial disability payments that might be clawed back or subjected to bureaucratic barriers if officials knew what she’s been doing.

It was eight years ago that a mammogram found what turned out to be Stage 3 breast cancer, the second-worst kind, a diagnosis that brought with it chemotherapy, surgery and radiation and the end to a 30-year career in retail.

“I battled it for two years. I lost my hair. You lose your dignity,” she said. “I’m very fortunate to be here and that’s why I wanted to give back because I know the good Lord gave me a second chance.”

It was when she later had her own colonoscopy that she saw how badly in need the hospital was for drivers. The options that did exist were prohibitively expensive.

Since then, she’s provided about 20 round-trip rides a month, raising her price to $12 this year.

Patients are greeted with a bottle of water, a friendly greeting and a reassuring hand.

“I treat them well, the way I want to be treated,” she said.

Her clients include a couple of police officers.

That’s why she was stunned that she became the target of a sting by bylaw enforcement.

“I’m really heart-struck. I can’t believe (the city) actually pulled this on me . . . It’s not like I’m actually making money on this.”

The head of city bylaw enforcement, Orest Katolyk, confirms the city investigated after receiving a complaint and that charges were laid, but that he doesn’t discuss specific charges or operating techniques.