It was a random moment at Walmart that reminded Cassandra Joseph how fulfilling her role as an oncology patient and family nurse navigator can be. “I heard someone calling my name and when I turned to see who it was, they screamed ‘room 836’ and ran to hug me. It was former patient that had beaten cancer and remembered how I helped them during their worst times. Those are the moments that make this role so fulfilling, rewarding, and different.”

An oncology nurse since 2006, Joseph is sometimes the first person to share the news of a cancer diagnosis and is quick to explain that having the disease doesn’t equal a death sentence. She then becomes part of the extended family of patients that are hospitalized for lengthy periods of time.

Working with patients with sarcoma and cancer in the brain, Joseph anxiously awaits the day a cure is found. “I’d be the first to call the patients with the news. It would be euphoric.”