Whitney is
Blood Cancer United

I am delighted to be a new member of the Clinical Trial Support Center team at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)! After eight years as a clinical nurse, charge nurse, and assistant nurse manager at various oncology hospitals across the country, I am honored to now work with blood cancer patients as a Spanish-speaking, CTSC nurse navigator.

It wasn't until my nursing career that I fully understood the impact that my ability to speak Spanish had on others. I started learning Spanish in middle school and immediately loved the language. I continued to study Spanish through high school and college where I spent a semester abroad in Madrid. I always enjoy speaking with the Latinx community in Spanish, whether it is with a Latinx friend, at a local store or restaurant, or when traveling. As a nurse, I found that it allowed me to connect with patients on a different and deeper level. Many of my patients who spoke Spanish said that they felt isolated due to the language barrier and expressed relief when we could communicate, not just about their diagnosis and treatment but also on a more emotional level as they battled some of their toughest days while getting treatment for cancer. I will never forget taking care of a Latino patient for a few days while working in San Francisco. On my last shift, his daughter came to visit. She was so excited to meet me because her dad had told her about me and how helpful I had been over the last few days. She was incredibly appreciative and said that she felt comforted knowing that he could talk to his nurse to make sure that all of his needs were met and that someone was advocating for him while she was at work.

Advocacy is a vital part of nursing, so speaking to a patient and their family or caregivers in their native language allows me to fully understand their treatment plan goals, address any of their concerns or questions, and truly listen to them. I am proud to be part of an organization such as LLS that emphasizes health equity and to be on a team that strives to provide clinical trial access and resources for patients nationwide from various backgrounds and ethnicities. My personal passion for health equity will continue to be a focal part of my role as a nurse navigator at LLS.