Jacque Langford, our nurse navigator, is an experienced oncology nurse who is certified as a breast patient navigator in imaging and cancer through the National Consortium of Breast Centers. This means that she is specially trained to help you through treatment. She provides one-on-one support and guidance from the time of diagnosis through survivorship.

A large part of Jacque’s role is care coordination. She communicates with your cancer care team and helps you and your family understand all the information presented.

Jacque will:

• Set up your initial consultations.
• Accompany you to those consultations and take notes for you.
• Arrange translation/interpretation services, if necessary.
• Educate you and your family about your cancer and treatment options.
• Help you keep track of questions you want to ask your care providers.
• Organize and explain your paperwork.
• Provide referrals to any additional support services you may need.
• Inform you of cancer research trials for which you may qualify.
• Answer questions, offer encouragement, and provide one-on-one support and guidance throughout diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.

Jacque’s story

When you’re facing breast cancer, it’s helpful to have the perspective of someone who’s been there. That’s why Jacque is uniquely suited to be our nurse navigator. Having watched her grandmother battle lung cancer and her mother battle breast cancer, she knows what it’s like to be on the other side of the diagnosis.

Jacque’s grandmother died of metastatic lung cancer when Jacque was a senior in high school. At the time, Jacque remembers wondering how she and her family could have helped. A few months later, Jacque started college and began heading down the path toward becoming an oncology nurse.

In 2007, Jacque’s mother was diagnosed with an advanced form of breast cancer. Even though, as an oncology nurse, Jacque knew more about what her mother was facing than most patients’ family members, it was still overwhelmingly hard to watch her mother struggle with the disease. This experience gave Jacque a deep understanding of what breast cancer patients and their families go through. That understanding is what she carries with her each day as a breast cancer nurse navigator. And it’s that understanding that makes her an exceptional source of support for patients at Saint Francis.