Morse High School students presented their bus driver, Ron Hagerthy, with a banner to show their appreciation and support for him while he battles stage four cancer. Photo courtesy of Morse High School

BATH — For 25 years, Ron Hagerthy’s friendly face has been the first thing Bath-area students see when the squeaky doors of the bus open each morning. This week, Morse High School students thanked him for transporting them as he fights stage 4 cancer.

The students handed him a banner that reads “Hagerthy Strong,” signed by the students he brings to and from McMann Field on Congress Avenue from Morse High School for physical education each day.

“That caught me by surprise and it choked me up,” Hagerthy said. “I didn’t really know how much respect they have for me and how much they care. I may be fighting cancer, but I don’t think I’m anyone special. I’m just me.”

Hagerthy, 55, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung and esophageal cancer on Aug. 6, the day after his birthday. He now undergoes biweekly chemotherapy treatment, which he said has taken a toll on his body.

“The cold weather is getting harder to tolerate,” he said. “I get numbness in my hands and face when it’s cold. I get tired too and try to rest when I can because if I get too tired, I’m not going to be able to fight this.”

Despite the uncomfortable side effects of chemotherapy, including a weakened immune system in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hagerthy continues to work when he’s able because “I wasn’t raised to be a quitter.”

Each morning,  Hagerthy rises before dawn to open the Bath Bus Service at 6 a.m. He picks up students at Morse High School at 7:50 a.m. to bring them to McMann Field and back. He said the short drive through Bath is the most eventful part of his day.

“It can be quite loud at times, but things are always interesting,” he said. “I enjoy being around other people and there’s never a dull moment on a school bus.”

Hagerthy said driving students is a duty he takes very seriously.

“It’s our responsibility to keep those kids safe and protect them while bringing them where they need to go,” he said. “The kids’ lives are in our hands while they’re on the bus and I take that very seriously. All bus drivers do. It’s why we do what we do.”

Suzanne Steen, co-owner of Bath Bus Service, which provides bus service for Morse High School, has known Hagerthy since high school and described him as helpful and hardworking.

“Ron will bend over backwards to help you, and he cleans like you wouldn’t believe,” said Steen. “If we didn’t have Ron, this place would be a mess.”

Attempts Friday to reach students who ride the bus with Hagerthy were unsuccessful.

Steen said Hagerthy has cut back his hours at work while he undergoes treatment, but she said she’s hopeful for the future because he seems to be responding well to the chemotherapy.

“His last PET scan came back positive, so it looks like he’s headed in the right direction,” she said. “We’re all keeping our fingers crossed for him.”

Hagerthy said he’s optimistic as well. Even though his cancer is in a lung, his esophagus and two lymph nodes, he said his doctor said the tumors appeared to be shrinking and his blood cell count seemed promising. Despite this, he doesn’t know how much longer he expects to undergo treatment or what his prognosis is.

“I have no fear of dying, but I know I’m not ready for it yet, so I’m going to keep fighting,” he said. “I try to stay positive about things and take things one day at a time because that’s all we can do. I have a lot of support from the students and that’s all I need.”