Nanna Bo Christensen is someone who breast cancer patients lean on
A breast cancer nurse navigator is someone who is a sounding board, talks through treatment options, coordinates care, and provides education and support. Someone who helps make breast cancer patients feel like they’re not just another number and identifies any barriers to care. That someone for our patients is Nanna Bo Christensen, RN, OCN, CBCN, BCH's breast cancer nurse navigator.
“I reassure patients that I’ll be in their corner, supporting them through their cancer journey,” says Nanna Bo. "Patients are often overwhelmed when they first get a diagnosis. They don't hear much besides, 'You have breast cancer,' and freeze in that moment. I begin by asking them what, exactly they heard their doctor say, and help clarify, educate and set up appointments from that point on."
Emotional support, compassion and understanding
As a member of the BCH breast cancer care team, Nanna Bo is the main point of contact for our breast cancer patients. She not only provides emotional support but also helps manage and coordinate their breast cancer care, from scheduling tests and screenings to steering them to the right resources or services.
“A patient can quickly have multiple doctors they need to consult with, and that can be very stressful. I set up their appointments, which relieves some of the stress,” Nanna Bo says.
While she can’t make any treatment decisions for patients, Nanna Bo acknowledges the difficulty of the decision making and refers them to reliable resources so patients can make an informed decision about the care that is right for them.
As one of our breast cancer patients said, "Nanna Bo told me there's sometimes no one right answer, and encouraged me to decide which would be the best choice for me."
Nanna Bo is an empathetic listener who supports our breast cancer patients in many ways:
- Acts as the point of contact to coordinate care, as well as helps patients keep track of and be prepared for appointments, tests and treatment
- Offers emotional support and guidance throughout all stages of treatment
- Works through any challenges or barriers that may interfere with getting the care
- Provides education to ensure cancer information is available and understandable so that patients can fully participate in their care
- Assesses physical, emotional, financial and spiritual needs
- Connects patients to rehabilitation services, counseling, support groups and complementary therapies
- Facilitates communication and acts as a liaison between a patient and health care team
Other BCH Breast Cancer Services
Our Center for Integrative Care provides an array of evidence-based complementary cancer therapies to aid in healing and recovery:
- Acupuncture
- Acupressure
- Reiki
- Oncology massage
- Manual lymphatic drainage
Oncology rehabilitation at BCH provides:
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Speech Language pathology
- Lymphedema treatment
We also offer :
- Nutrition education
- Breast cancer support group
- Yoga
- Exercise
- Cognitive classes
- Meditation sound bath
- And, we refer to many other community support services, including Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers' support services
For more information, please contact:
Nanna Bo Christensen, RN, OCN, CBCN
Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator
303-415-7057
nchristensen@bch.org
