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| Kim Blakeman, Certified Patient Navigator |
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A Day In the Life of a Kentucky CancerLink Patient Navigator
Each person that calls Kentucky CancerLink has a special story. As a Certified Patient Navigator, it's my privilege to be a part of that story and help them in any way that I can.
From time to time, however, there is a story that truly touches my heart. Recently, I received a call from a sweet lady named Theresa. She is a cancer survivor and has completed her treatment, but has a very big problem. Due to reasons unknown, her hair never grew back after her treatment. She had patches of hair, but she was extremely disheartened that it did not return the way that it should have.... like it had for others.
She came into the office and we went into the Patient Services Room and she asked me to look away, that she did not want me to see her. I was able to reassure her that she is beautiful regardless and that I was here to help. We both had a moment of tears and got to work finding her a wig.
Through the course of our visit, I realized that it was her birthday, so I made an extra effort to have our staff come and sing happy birthday to her. Again, the tears came freely. We did not find a wig that she felt comfortable with, but we were determined to keep working.
Our intern, Monique, is going to graduate in December with a degree in Public Health from EKU, but is also a hairdresser. Her mother passed away from cancer, and Monique had kept the wigs that she wore. We made a special appointment for Theresa to come back and Monique was able to give her the wigs that ended up being a great solution!
It's always a joy to be able to fulfill our mission and help make someone's day a little brighter.
Kim
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