St. Mary’s Diana Arronenzi shares the daily rewards and challenges of a breast health navigator
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
There’s nothing remotely easy about receiving this type of news. The dreaded news that can come after a mammogram when the doctor enters the room, clipboard in hand, solemn expression on their face.
“It’s breast cancer,” they’ll tell the patient, whose entire world is instantly thrown off balance as a thousand questions run through their head. Is it curable? Will I need chemo? What on earth am I supposed to do next?
Being diagnosed with breast cancer is a battle no woman wants to fight, but so many are forced to do so anyway. The journey is a confusing, stressful, emotional roller coaster that can easily overwhelm even the strongest of females. Thankfully, one woman at Langhorne’s St. Mary Medical Center is by their side every step of the way.
Her name is Diana Arronenzi, a breast health navigator in the hospital’s Breast Health Department. In her role, which she has proudly held for eight years, Arronenzi coordinates the care each patient receives from medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and plastic surgeons, just to name a few. She understands the treatment process can be a lot to take in, especially when the patient is fighting for her life. So, Arronenzi’s daily mission is to prevent the process from being any harder than it needs to be.
During some rare down time on a recent Tuesday afternoon, The Times sat down with the spunky Italian mother from New Jersey, who shared details on available resources at St. Mary, the most rewarding aspects of the job, and how she works to treat each patient as if they were her own family.
Arronenzi, who is an oncology-certified nurse and certified navigator, began her medical career in inpatient oncology before switching to outpatient and managing infusion.
“I kind of dealt with all cancers at that time,” she said.
But when she came to St. Mary, Arronenzi found a home in the hospital’s Breast Health Department and hasn’t looked back since. As a navigator, she sees approximately 200 patients annually who have received a positive diagnosis. Though most are in their 40s and 50s, she will encounter a few as young as 30 and as old as 90. No matter the patient’s age, one thing remains the same — Arronenzi is their go-to person throughout the duration of the treatment process.
The purpose of a navigator can be compared to having a GPS in the car. Without it, a driver will eventually reach their destination, but they’ll probably take a few wrong turns and ultimately waste valuable time. By having that technology, they’re able to travel a much straighter, shorter road.
“Every day, we get so caught up in other responsibilities. By having a dedicated navigator, you kind of watch the patient through their whole journey. Easily, a treatment could be missed so by having a navigator, they’re constantly watching over you,” she said. “In the beginning, the patients are so overwhelmed with their treatment, so it’s another contact for them to have.”
Moments after a patient receives a positive diagnosis, Arronenzi begins helping coordinate their care, setting up appointments with their medical oncologist, radiation oncologist and plastic surgeon. She works to expedite the patient’s treatment plan to get them needed care as soon as possible, before their condition gets worse.
“Timeliness of their treatment is really important,” she said. “And then you’re constantly talking to the patient, so you kind of sense where their needs are and their anxiety is.”
Arronenzi encourages patients to contact her anytime with questions or concerns, and makes it a point to return every call received by the end of the day. Even if she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll assure them she’s working on it and hasn’t forgotten about them.
“It’s just my nature. I try to put myself in their shoes,” she said.
In addition to helping patients schedule important appointments, Arronenzi links them to the slew of complementary support services available at St. Mary. These include access to support groups, social workers, nutritionists, massage therapy, preparation classes for surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, and two free months at the wellness center, where a personal trainer will develop an exercise program geared toward individual needs.
“We consider that survivorship for our patients. It’s a known fact that patients who eat healthy and exercise, it decreases the risk of recurrence with their breast cancer,” Arronenzi said.
She also makes them aware of programs such as the Breathing Room Foundation, which aids patients with pricey medical bills and copays, as well as the Bee Well Boutique, which offers free wigs and special hygiene products for cancer patients.
Once someone is cancer-free and out of Arronenzi’s care, it’s not uncommon for them to send her letters of gratitude. Most share similar sentiments, stating words of thanks such as “you were there for me when I was about to jump off the edge” and “what would I have done without you.”
But for Arronenzi, knowing she had a positive impact on another human life never gets old.
“Our job is, I have to say it’s really rewarding. You really feel like you’re helping,” she said. “I hope I touched people. I try to treat patients like I would want to be treated.” ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
