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INSPIRE
MARY KAPFER Instilling hope David Tyler
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s the oldest of eight children, nurturing others was always something that came naturally for Mary Kapfer. “My father would say, ‘when Mary went to college, we didn’t know what we would do,’ because I was the oldest and I was like the second mother,” she said. That experience, as well as the experience of 46 years in medicine, has made her wellsuited for the role of breast navigator at St. Joseph Imaging in Fayetteville. “My job is to make sure women – it’s almost always women, but sometimes men as well - get what they need,” she said. “I just want to be there for people in any way they need me. It’s different things for different people.” Often that includes educating them about their breast health to ensure they are getting regular mammograms and taking care of themselves. Sometimes it is helping them navigate some of the financial supports that are available for uninsured patients. Almost always it is about giving patients hope and encouragement at a time when their anxieties are at their highest. It is also about being available to patients when they are going through a traumatic, anxietyproducing event – getting them in quickly if they’re waiting, getting them their results promptly, being available to answer their questions.
OC TOBER 2021
SU RVIVORS EDITION
