A Unicorn Among Us

From left: Katherine Mast Hagemann, B.S.N., RN, and Dr. Andrew Kuykendall

The current environment in oncology (and medicine in general) incentivizes hurried, impersonal care that prioritizes algorithmic over individualized decision-making. Efficiency is encouraged, and there seems to be little time to look a patients in the eye, hold their hands, and ask, “How are you doing?” It takes time to ask, and it invites an answer that could take much longer. All the while, documentation is delayed, emails flood in, administrative tasks build up and work days get prolonged.

Katherine Hagemann has refused to let any of those things stop her from asking that question. But more importantly, Katherine has refused to let any of those things stop her from listening to the answer.

Katherine has been my primary nurse in our specialized clinic where we focus almost entirely on patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms and systemic mastocytosis. These are patients with extremely rare chronic leukemias that result in abnormal blood cell counts, debilitating constitutional symptoms and poor quality of life. Patients travel significant distances to receive an accurate diagnosis, better understand their condition, obtain treatment recommendations and understand how this new reality impacts their old reality.

Katherine Mast Hagemann, B.S.N., RN, and Dr. Andrew Kuykendall

Although many oncologists (myself very much included) keep the focus on the disease — its diagnosis, treatment options, execution of treatment — Katherine has an exquisite instinct for understanding that there is a context to each patient’s diagnosis that is just as important to understand. In our clinic, we call them “emotional support visits” or ESVs for short. That’s when Katherine returns from a patient’s room before I’ve had the chance to see them . My face often reflects the confusion and frustration of someone who feels like they are running behind. She’ll look at me and say, “We had an ESV.” The implications of this statement have become clear. What I may initially see as lost or wasted time is, in fact, the exact opposite. The time she spends in an ESV will be cherished by the patient in a way that will ultimately pay dividends in the future. Regardless of what I talk about with that patient in the time that follows, they will leave the appointment knowing that they were heard because Katherine took the time to truly listen.

Beyond this preternatural empathy and compassion, Katherine has a unique drive to understand the rare diseases we treat. Her ability to distill complex concepts and present them to patients in a way they can understand gives patients comfort and confidence as they navigate the unknown.

In the increasingly complex environment of cancer care, Katherine Hagemann is a unicorn. She combines an impressive understanding of rare diseases in a rapidly evolving field with a degree of compassion that is rarely seen. Her ability to keep the focus on the patient is a model to which we all should aspire. And, just like a unicorn, I often can’t believe she’s real. Katherine understands that the disease is just a component of the journey that patients with cancer must travel and, importantly, Katherine helps patients understand that it isn’t a journey they are taking alone.

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