Tanya Prachar is the perfect model all aspiring nurse practitioners should look to. She has been treating my mother in recent months for neurological degeneration during one of the most difficult times in my entire family's life. While the prognoses are all hard to process, she has kept my family focused on finding answers rather than worrying about what could come.
My mom began to decline with her speech and memory several years ago. My mom was left feeling frustrated with the continued decline without any answers and more than one dismissal. It wasn't until we began meeting with Tanya Prachar that we became hopeful again. Tanya was the first provider that listened to my mom. As soon as she came into the room, she was a calming presence that made my anxious parents immediately feel calmer. She listened to all my parents' concerns (and they had a lot) without judgment or bias and promised to do her best to help us find answers. As we left, my mom teared up. She finally felt like someone was listening.
At the same time, my mom's breast cancer returned after nearly 15 years in remission, this time as stage IV, having spread to the spine. When my mom explained to Tanya the news we had received that morning, tearful and stuttering, there was nothing but compassion on her face. She did not minimize anything, promising to work in tandem with any and all providers necessary to keep my mom hopeful. She has worked with some of her oncology providers all the way in Texas to make sure that the chemotherapy medications were taken into account with her own treatment plan. She arranged a PET scan and necessary lab tests here at UVA, contacting the oncologist to ask if there was anything they needed with each procedure.
While at the office for the LP, my mom joked with Tanya and she did not let the energy falter in the room, understanding this was a key coping mechanism in my family. At the same time, she did not make light of the procedures or seriousness of the conditions we were testing for. Before the procedure began, my mom paused the conversation to communicate just how much Tanya means to her. Going on to tell her how she has been the first person to listen to her, to understand, and to help her look for answers, something we are all desperate for. In an effort to provide any and all comfort, she even asked my mom what she wanted to listen to for the procedure, turning on a 70s music channel so we could listen to Queen and more.
After the LP, Tonya reviewed my mom's MRI, addressing all the fears Dr.Google had brought up when googling "infarct". Tanya kindly explained exactly what the MRI meant and took the time to pull up the MRI images on her computer to show us the exact spots that had been flagged and pointing out all the healthy tissue too.
As a nurse myself, working with Tanya has been a pleasure as she is honest and straightforward without being abrasive or cold. She even managed to calm my dad, who is an incredibly anxious and worried person. Tanya has made the world of difference to my entire family as she provides expert level care, compassion, and communication that matches what my parents need to understand and feel at ease. Every time I have left her office, I tell my mom the exact same thing as we take the elevators down to the first floor, "She is the perfect model of what every Nurse Practitioner should be."