San Diego ( CNN ) -- For many children fighting cancer , it can be extremely tough to make it to their chemotherapy appointments . Two-year-old Sisi Johnson has neuroblastoma and must travel as much as six times a week to Rady Children 's Hospital in San Diego . But her mother does n't have a car , and Sisi 's compromised immune system means public transportation is off-limits . That 's where Richard Nares comes in . Nares , who lost his son , Emilio , to cancer in 2000 , started a program called `` Ride With Emilio '' to provide transportation for low-income families and their children battling cancer . `` No child should miss their cancer treatment due to lack of transportation , '' Nares says . Sisi is now one of hundreds of patients who receive free rides to and from treatments . `` They help me out so much , '' says Silvia Johnson , Sisi 's single mother of two who receives eight to 10 rides per week . `` They 're very clean , they 're sanitized ... they are always organized and on time . I do n't know what I would do without them . '' Nares knows firsthand what these families are going through . In March 1998 , his 3-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia , thrusting the family into a world of constant treatments , hospital visits and tests . Fortunately , he and his wife had a large support system , flexible jobs and understanding employers . `` We had rides to the hospital to bring Emilio , '' he said . `` We had our brothers and sisters and neighbors bring us hot meals . '' But Nares met many families along the way who did n't have such support : Single moms forced to take leave from jobs without pay , kids having to ride the bus alone to their chemotherapy appointments , siblings left home alone . Nares said it broke his heart . `` It 's extremely tough , not just emotionally , but now financially , '' he said . `` Sometimes , both parents have to either leave their job or cut back severely . Some ... do n't have ( an ) extra $ 10 to pay for cafeteria food . '' When Emilio died , his father decided he had watched too many people struggle . He went back to Rady Children 's Hospital , where Emilio had received most of his treatment , and asked how he could help . `` Transportation , '' they said . So Nares started picking up families in his old Buick . `` I was going every day , picking up families all over the county , '' he said . Soon , however , Nares could n't handle the number of requests that were coming in . So he teamed up with nurses and social workers from Rady to create a formal transportation program . He hired a driver , formalized a schedule for pickups and drop-offs and started the Emilio Nares Foundation in 2003 . One of the first children Nares helped was a 1-year-old boy with a brain tumor who required frequent chemotherapy treatments . With no car , the boy 's mother had to leave her home at 4 a.m. and take four buses to get her son to an 8:30 a.m. appointment . `` It was over four hours one way by bus , '' Nares said . `` And after the whole day of chemotherapy , it was the same amount of time back . '' Nares and his foundation stepped in , saving them a significant amount of travel time each day . Today , Nares ' group provides more than 2,500 rides a year , traveling more than 70,000 miles . It operates out of Rady and Orange County Children 's Hospital . In addition to the free rides , Nares ' nonprofit provides support services and assistance to its clientele , many of whom do not speak English . Nares ' group offers translation services and an on-site resource center at Rady to help them navigate the often-complex insurance systems , legal issues and medical diagnoses . `` Most of the families that we 're dealing with are not just low-income , but they are living in poverty , '' Nares said . On Saturday , Nares will begin his `` Richard Runs California '' fundraiser to help children fighting cancer . He will run 700 miles over 30 days , starting in San Francisco and ending in San Diego . He says his work not only saves children 's lives , but it keeps Emilio 's memory alive as well . `` He really is the force , '' Nares said . `` Even though he 's been passed away almost 13 years , it 's still like he 's with me . Like he 's still on my shoulder or still pulling my ear like he used to . '' Want to get involved ? Check out the Emilio Nares Foundation website at www.enfhope.org and see how to help .
Richard Nares organizes free rides to the hospital for poor children with cancer . Many children and their families find it difficult to get reliable , affordable transportation . Nares lost his own son , Emilio , to leukemia in 2000 : `` It 's like he 's still with me ''