Recently I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer and to say the least, the past 10 weeks have been a whirlwind of appointments, emotions, and just disbelief. I have had the utmost pleasure of interacting on a patient level with some of the most compassionate care team members here in Western Maine. The entire team here in our Oncology department has proven to be top-notch, however, one employee Jeanne Rosato, Nurse Navigator, has just taken things to a whole new level. Her level of care and compassion has grounded me during this time.

Jeanne has not only stayed on top of every movement in my care but did something the other day that taught me the most valuable lesson in compassion that I have ever personally experienced in healthcare. Nothing about my journey thus far has been typical and this week I was scheduled to have my second biopsy completed. When I arrived at this appointment internally, I was stressed, scared, and frustrated! During the procedure, the amount of worry that was going through my mind was just overwhelming. When the procedure was complete and I was ready to leave, the door opened and there was Jeanne. The compassion on her face and the willingness to go out of her way to just make sure I was okay really changed my outlook on things and was hands down what I needed at that moment. I did not ask her to do this, nor did I even realize she remembered that I had an appointment. But for her to go out of her way to be there for me, to ensure that I got a hug, and to just tell me “We’ve got you!” melted me!