When you meet Jessica Nuebel for the first time, you could think that her 2017 breast cancer diagnosis was the driving force behind her decision to change jobs after more than 17 years, from a Blessing Hospital obstetrics and gynecology nurse to the navigator for patients of the Blessing Breast Center.

Get to know Jessica a little bit better and you will discover that another life-changing event, one that occurred before her diagnosis, which set Jessica on the path that would change radically the trajectory of her career.

“One of my family members had cancer, and there was no patient navigation available to them at that time,” she said. “I had no oncology experience at that point in my career. Helping my family member through their experience made me realize the value of a navigator. People with no medical knowledge, trying to navigate the care system, is very challenging. I witnessed that with my family.”

As of February 2020, Jessica Nuebel, BSN, RNC-OB, is the Blessing Breast Center Navigator.

What does she do? She I committed to making life a little bit easier for those who are living through a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Any person who comes to Blessing Health System for treatment of breast cancer can work with Jessica at no cost.

“I am a consistent contact person for my patients,” she said. “They meet many care providers during treatment – doctors, nurses, social workers, dieticians, to name a few.  As a patient, sitting in those appointments, receiving all that information and walking away, sometimes it’s all swirling and it’s hard to comprehend what was said.”

“When they have questions, who do they call?” Jessica asked. “I can be that person the patient contacts at any time with questions, big or small, for guidance.  I have access to resources to help them through any challenges or difficulties they may have, whether it be financial or social.

“When they are in appointments, information can be coming at them so quickly,” she continued.  “I take notes, writing it down in words that make sense to them.  I give them a copy.  They take it home. When they are ready to revisit it, but may not remember what was said, it is written down and then they can always reach out to me if they need to.”

When Jessica made her first phone contact with one of her first patients as Blessing Breast Center Navigator, the power of experience became clear.

“She said she just knew at that point we were meant to be in each other’s path. She knew she was going to be okay because she found her angel to guide her through it,” Jessica recalled.

“I don’t know if I would go as far as to call myself an angel,” she admitted. “But having been through it and having real-life experience adds a lot of value. I think it’s comforting to patients to know that I have been through it. I am relatable.”

Jessica is a nationally certified breast self-exam instructor and plans to hold public classes in the near future to help women improve their skill in this technique, vital to detecting breast cancer in its early stages.

For more information on the care available through the Blessing Breast Center, go to blessinghealth.org/breastcenter. For more information on all cancer care available through Blessing Health System, go to blessinghealth.org/cancer.