shawn costanzo, RN, OCN

Shawn daily encounters the varying physical and emotional needs of our oncology patients. Often, we have patients share their personal frustrations that are not always within the boundaries of just chemotherapy treatments or side effects. No matter what the problem is with her patients, Shawn always goes above and beyond for each patient she encounters. She doesn't give up until she finds a solution, or all avenues have been exhausted.
For example, one of our terminal patients wanted to take a last trip to New York to visit family but was unable to fly due to the oxygen risks. The drive would take three days, requiring the patient to take large oxygen tanks in the vehicle and coordinate with different oxygen suppliers to refill along the way and during her visit. The patient's insurance would not cover a small, portable oxygen concentrator which would be so much simpler. Shawn spent several days personally reaching out to several charitable resources until she found a certified and inspected portable oxygen concentrator for her patient, which she went and picked up. To say that the patient was amazed and grateful is an understatement!