Ash Mondolo is a proud nursing clinician working in the field of breast cancer care across Mater in Queensland, tasked with supporting, nursing, and caring for some of the 18,000 Australian women who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
Every day, Ash and her colleagues care for women across the breast cancer continuum—from diagnosis and treatment, to follow-up appointments, and inpatient and outpatient care. Ash forms part of each patient’s breast cancer team including surgeons, oncologists, and allied health experts, working in collaboration with the treatment team as well as independently as the Clinical Nurse Consultant.
“I work with a team of dedicated specialists as the primary point of contact for our patients who have breast cancer. In the early stage of a breast cancer diagnosis, I help to translate the oncologist’s and surgeon’s advice into something that can be easily understood, to take some of the complexity out of their diagnosis and treatment plan,” Ash said. “During their admission to hospital at Mater, I support my patients with wound care and pain management, along with psychosocial support as they recover from surgery.
“Amongst all of this, my job is also to listen to patients and open the door to any psychological and emotional support they may need, help guide them through their breast cancer treatments and empower them to make informed decisions throughout their cancer journey.”
Ash shared that it is difficult to summarise her role as each day brings new challenges, tailored to the individual breast cancer patient. “Women are diagnosed with breast cancer at different ages, different stages in life, and can be diagnosed with various subtypes of breast cancer which sees every woman going through cancer affected in a different way,” Ash said.
Ash added that one of the hardest realities she has to face is that some of her patients do not survive breast cancer. “My job is hard at times and knowing that some of my patients will not survive is the biggest challenge I face as a Breast Care Nurse, but it gives me the drive to continue to advocate for more awareness of breast cancer and to support people in understanding that early detection really does save lives.”
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