CLEMMONS, N.C. — Stacy Sawyers of Clemmons, North Carolina makes it a priority to get a mammogram every year. An appointment in 2020 changed her life.
“When you're told you have cancer your world is rocked,” Sawyers said.
The diagnosis left her with endless questions that she said never went unanswered all due to the help of her breast health navigators.
“When I left her office, I left with a book that had a lot of education in it, but I also left with a schedule of appointments that she took time to make so I didn't have to figure out, what kind of surgeon do I call, who am I supposed to see at a cancer center,” Sawyers said. “She did all of that for me."
Nurses Jamie Flaherty and Kathryn Bowman are breast health navigators with Novant Health. Their job is to treat patients like Sawyers from the moment of diagnosis, by connecting them with physicians, explaining treatment options, and being a listening ear.
“We can't take away from the anxiety of the diagnosis, but we can work to take away the fear of the unknown," Flaherty said.
Bowman agrees.
“In building that relationship, we're better able to learn about their needs when it comes to, whether they have a transportation concern, a finical concern, a food insecurity,” Bowman said. “We try to make sure we're always assessing for those things no matter where they are in their journey."
Sawyers is now two years cancer free. She hopes her story shows others battling an illness that they're not alone.
“Every step of the way I've had somebody next to me,” Sawyers said. "I think one of the biggest things I love about navigation, is when you educate someone you give them power and through this whole thing, I never felt powerless because of them."
Behind skin cancer, breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women in the U.S.