Almost 3 years ago, I remember my surgeon giving me a business card. He said, this is Paula Landman's card, you will be hearing from her, a lot. I had no idea then the impact this person would have on my life. A week or so later as I was sitting on my sofa, I received "THE" phone call from Paula with my pathology results. I remember Paula saying these words that I had no idea what they meant and telling me about my new diagnosis and what the immediate plan was going forward. The details of the conversation are still a blur as I literally went numb hearing the word cancer. What I remember most about that conversation, as Paula was answering my endless questions and telling me I had metastatic melanoma, was her voice and the manner in which she gave me the news. Paula was extremely patient and very kind. She came across to me as someone who is compassionate, supportive, professional, non-judgmental, caring, very intelligent, and reassuring, and all the while she was talking, her voice and her demeanor were so calm. She did not make me feel rushed; she took the time to explain and help me try to understand what this meant. Paula was able to bring me off the ledge and gave me a sense of calm and hope amidst the chaos of what my life was about to become. We were on the phone for quite some time, and as frightened and lost as I felt, I instantly felt like Paula was the person I could easily trust.

To this day, almost three years later, I can still say the same. Paula became who I called my "guardian angel," and I would say many times, it's silly but true, "Have no fear, Paula is near!" I never have to ask twice. Paula is very reliable, extremely dependable and always goes above and beyond to get things done expeditiously. Whether it is to return a call, to answer a MyChart message, to find out the answer, to fax the FMLA forms, to fix a situation that no one else was able to do, to come into the room during an office visit, to follow through on anything no matter how big or small, Paula has always come through. Paula goes above and beyond to help, gets the job done, and helps people feel better. Paula is able to "move mountains" when others cannot. Paula has a way of making you feel as if you are the only person on her schedule that day, even though she undoubtedly has hundreds of things waiting for her attention. The beginning of a cancer journey is just terrifying. There are so many appointments, so many things I did not understand, so many fears of the unknown, so many tears. Having Paula as part of my team has definitely helped ease my stress level on countless occasions, and she has taught me so much. Not just about my cancer but also about having cancer and learning to live with it. She gave me such valuable information on support group sites, literature to read, and volunteering to do.

I have a very bad hearing loss, making it very difficult to communicate at times. I didn't want to miss anything being said to me as I was learning to navigate my way through this rollercoaster I was on. This also was during the same time the mask mandates during COVID were in place, which made communicating all that more difficult as I was used to doing a lot of lip reading when I communicate with people. Paula would come into the room with me during the oncology office visits or consultations. This has always been extremely helpful as Paula always instinctively knows when to repeat what was said to me and what I missed or translate it in a way that I could understand. Paula gave me a button to wear (after making sure I wasn't offended by it) to alert people I was hearing impaired, as she saw how frustrated I was at how often I had to tell people that I was hearing impaired.

Paula is always willing to listen and offer emotional support and guidance, she has been able to fix scheduling snarls, insurance issues, orders, and FMLA issues, all which helped me tremendously with all the stress I was going through. On those harder days, Paula would give me an extra hug, recommend something for me to read, or say something to make me smile. Paula has a great sense of humor, and she can easily make me laugh. Paula would spend those extra few minutes with me or she would just listen and always knew the right thing to say, or what not to say. I remember one office visit. I was extra sad that day... I had another appointment on a different floor at UNC after my oncology visit. Paula tracked me down and gave me a little something to cheer me up, which, again, made me laugh. Even more important than what she gave me, it was that extra effort and thoughtfulness Paula had and went through to try and cheer me up. Without a doubt, whether it was in the office or over the phone, I always felt a bit lighter after talking to Paula.

The things that Paula did helped make my life easier and helped me feel less lost and terrified. Part of what Paula does is part of her job, but that is what makes Paula so special and extraordinary, which is how she does what she does. Paula never once has ever made me feel as if I was just "part of her job." Paula has this ability to make me (and most likely everyone she encounters) feel that she is doing for me as a patient what she would do for a member of her own family in the same situation. Paula goes above and beyond. She effortlessly makes me feel as if my issues, my questions, my fears, however big or small (and probably sometimes really not that important in the whole scheme of things), mattered. Although there have been many wonderful nurses involved in all of my appointments, Paula stands out above all the rest. Paula is truly remarkable and for all she has done for me, continues to do for me, for all her kindness, professionalism, her reliability, her thoughtfulness, her thoroughness, her support, her humor, I could never ever thank her enough.

Being a nurse is no easy task on so many levels. Especially being an oncology nurse takes a very special person with an extra kind heart. Paula exemplifies that role. This nomination is for all the thank you's that do not feel like "thank you" was enough, for all the countless times Paula has gone above and beyond to be available to me. It's for all the difference Paula has made in my life and my cancer journey. I feel Paula deserves this recognition and this award for the outstanding person she is and for being so extraordinary in every aspect of her position as the Nurse Navigator of the Melanoma Program for UNC. With many thanks!