Written by Tiana Nichols, Dr. Jensen’s Patient Care Coordinator

Working under Dr. Jensen’s very kind and capable hands for the last three years, I have had a close view of Breast Cancer. I often see on the faces of so many of our new patients a range of emotions such as shock, fear of the unknown, overwhelming sadness, or anger. However, amidst all of these emotions, there is usually one theme that seems to accompany each visit and that is HOPE. Hope for healing, hope for more time with loved ones, hope for a return to normal life, hope for a cure. This hope seems to fuel a resiliency within each patient, creating a determination to beat this unwelcome intruder; and then ultimately delivers back to the world amazing, strong, beautiful survivors!

I wouldn’t dare say that I understand the road that each patient walks because each of their paths is different. Some arrive to their appointments accompanied by loving spouses, children or friends. Many are able to take a reprieve from work and will have amazing resources to help with life’s demands. Others, however, may be single parents who are forced to work through chemo and radiation while taking care of young children. One thing is pretty certain though… we will become friends! Because of their many required visits, I will most likely learn about their families, their struggles, their hobbies, their travels or their jobs. We will cry together, laugh together, lament together and rejoice together. I will pray for them and I will grow from their stories, and ultimately, I will be changed. Working with our patients has blessed my life enormously. As I witness their challenging journeys, I am inspired to count my own blessings, to love more deeply and to appreciate each and every day.

I tell Dr. Jensen often that his job is not really a job, but rather, that it is a calling from God to care for His beloved children. I thank God for Dr. Jensen, and doctors like him, who work tirelessly everyday to improve the health and cosmetics of breast cancer patients. My own mother, sister, aunt and grandmother have fought this disease, bear the scars it brings, and have benefited from the skill and training of excellent physicians. I know that Dr. Jensen’s concern is sincere, his love for his patients is genuine, and that he feels a personal responsibility to each of them to help improve their lives through reconstructive surgery. I watch him sacrifice valuable family time, bear the burdens of treating complications, and rejoice with patients as their treatments come to a close.

I believe it “takes a village” to effectively treat breast cancer and I am thankful for the small role I can play, from where I sit in the office, to help each patient as she travels her personal journey to a cure.