Best friends, cousins & cancer survivors: Brandi’s journey
Cousins Brandi Blanchfield and Jennifer Zink have an unbreakable bond. Last year, they were both diagnosed with ovarian cancer just months apart. But through it all, they’ve found strength in each other and their cancer care team. Read Zink’s story.
In October 2021, Brandi Blanchfield rushed to MultiCare Allenmore Hospital’s Emergency Department after waking up in the middle of the night with an intense fever. Doctors ran several imaging tests, including a CT scan and an ultrasound. Her tests came back with the cause of her symptoms — ovarian cancer.
As an otherwise healthy and active 37-year-old dedicated to volunteering at a local animal shelter and exploring the Pacific Northwest, “ovarian cancer” was the last thing Blanchfield expected to hear. Just eight months before, her cousin and best friend Jennifer Zink had received the same diagnosis. Blanchfield leaned on her for guidance and support.
“When I was in the ER, I contacted my mother and then I contacted my cousin Jennifer,” she says. “From that moment on, Jennifer connected me with everyone; she let her whole care team know her cousin was coming in with the same diagnosis she’d just received.”
Blanchfield (left) and Zink
Blanchfield’s care was transferred to MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital, where she found glimmers of hope thanks to hospital staff.
“It was hard during COVID to not have my family there, but I was in the greatest company,” she shares. “Nurses that weren’t even assigned to me were coming to visit. I met so many doctors I’ll probably never see again who said they were watching over me. I was put into this cocoon where I always felt cared for.”
Facing cancer ‘takes a village’
Those days were the first of many that Blanchfield spent at Tacoma General Hospital. After she was discharged, she began weekly visits to the MultiCare Regional Cancer Center with medical oncologist Blair Irwin, MD, who immediately began a personalized treatment plan, including four rounds of chemotherapy followed by surgery with gynecologic oncologist Wafic Massry, MD, FACOG.
According to Dr. Irwin, every moment matters when treating cancer patients like Blanchfield.
“Cancer marches along, and if we delay by not connecting patients to the next step quickly, then that affects their outcomes,” Dr. Irwin explains. “That’s where having a team around the patient who can educate and communicate with them quickly and efficiently and schedule them for all the treatments they need is so important.”
From the moment Blanchfield met Dr. Irwin and Dr. Massry, the team committed to easing her fears and uncertainty and empowering her with the most important tools for her healing — confidence and hope.
“During the process from diagnosis to starting and going through treatment, I always felt very protected,” Blanchfield shares. “Dr. Irwin would always say, ‘Let me do the worrying for you. You just take care of yourself.’ And that really helped.”
Her care team also included nurse navigators Maranatha Anderson, RN, and Becky Aurand, RN, MSN, BS.
From the moment patients receive a cancer diagnosis, navigators become advocates for their care, supporting them through their treatment and addressing potential barriers. Sometimes this includes using donor funds to cover temporary housing for patients or gifting a gas card to ensure they have reliable transportation to and from appointments.
For Blanchfield, this meant connecting her to a MultiCare psychologist who works with individuals who’ve experienced a cancer diagnosis. Navigators also referred her to a complimentary wig program at MultiCare Good Samaritan’s Cancer Resource Center. Powered by generous community donations, the program offers a free wig to those going through cancer treatment, including custom color matching, a wig liner and head covering accessories.
“That extra support is the most valuable thing a patient can receive,” Blanchfield explains. “It takes a village and that’s what nurse navigators are part of — a major village to help people facing really challenging times.”
Whole person, family-centered care
As Blanchfield approaches the one-year mark since this chapter of her story began, she’s celebrating the news that she’s finally without evidence of disease. She’s grateful for her community of support, including family and friends who ensured she never went to an appointment alone and staff who provided reassurance at every turn.
“My nurse navigators, Dr. Irwin and Dr. Massry, have not only helped my cousin and me, but also our families,” she shares. “I recently saw Dr. Massry, and he asked how my mom’s doing because he knew she’s been a nervous wreck for her daughter. He contacted them after my surgery telling them he believes I’ll live a long, long life. All that positivity has really helped.”
Although the experience has been filled with fear and uncertainty, Blanchfield is thankful she got to walk this path alongside her cousin and best friend. Throughout their journey, they’ve found they have several more things in common — their strength, their love of laughter even in the darkest situations and their MultiCare Regional Cancer Center care team who’s become part of their family.
You can help cancer patients in the South Puget Sound receive compassionate care and support, regardless of their financial situation with a gift to the MultiCare Health Foundation.
