Navigating Cancer

Tools

By Madelyn Jarrett

Story Published: Mar 30, 2009 at 7:45 PM MST

Story Updated: Mar 30, 2009 at 7:31 PM MST

BILLINGS - Cancer can be not only scary, but confusing. Some patients say between all the specialists, information and treatments they deal with it's hard to keep everything straight.

At 80 years old, Erma Yonts' breast cancer diagnosis came as a shock to her and her family. If that wasn't enough, soon after, she found out she also has brain cancer. "People don't know that much about cancer. Especially brain cancer," says Yonts. "It's so unfamiliar and talking to different doctors, each of them have a specialty and trying to see where we're at and what we need and where she needs to go and what's the best care for her," says Yonts' daughter Sandy Wirth.

That's where Sarah Rachac comes in. She's an American Cancer Society Cancer Patient Navigator. She's been with the hospital a little more than a month, helping Erma and her family navigate their way through dealing with the disease. "When a patient has a new cancer diagnosis, there are a lot of initial questions. I have cancer, now what do I do? I think being able to address the fact that there are a lot of programs and services that I can help them focus on," says Rachac. Sarah can connect patients with financial assistance and support groups. She can coach them on what questions to ask, what to expect next and who to talk to; even where to get a wig if they lose their hair. Or in Yonts' case, Rachac helped find her local housing and transportation for daily radiation treatments.

"My focus isn't clinical as much as it is addressing resources in community that may be able to help them," says Rachac. "Just talking helps a lot," says Yonts. While the services Rachac and other navigators offer are free to patients, Yonts and her family believe the comfort they provide is priceless.

Billings Clinic also has navigators available to assist patients.

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