Patient’s wife nominates Jill May, RN for CURE Extraordinary Healer Award

[Allina News, January 21, 2025] Being an oncology nurse navigator takes a special person. In addition to specialized nursing skills and understanding the entire health care system plus many medical specialties, one must be part investigator, communicator and chaplain. Jill May, BSN, RN, OCN with Allina Health Cancer Institute (AHCI) in Minneapolis is all of these and more as evidenced by an award nomination she received last spring.

Kay Kroeff Streng of Minneapolis, the wife of one of Jill’s former patients, nominated her for the CURE Extraordinary Healer Award, for the care Jill gave Kay’s husband Rick. Rick was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma in late February 2020, just prior to the U.S. declaring the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency on March 13. While he died May 1, 2023, Jill was the couple’s trusted health ally during Rick’s three-year battle with cancer. Through interventional radiology and surgery. immunotherapy treatment, care team changes, waitlists for liver transplant and finally hospice care, Jill reassured the couple that she would always be there for them.

Kay’s nomination of Jill last spring recently appeared in the CURE’s Extraordinary Healers publication (pages 61-67). Here are a few excerpts from the nomination (the full write up is worth the read):

“Jill gave her attention to both of us: the caregiver as well as the patient.“

“Communication was critical, particularly in the beginning when everything came at us so fast. It was easy to become overwhelmed. We had lots of questions, and Jill made it easier for us to ask them. Giving us [her email address] an easier way to communicate showed both trust and compassion. It acknowledged we were not just cases or treatment plans, but real people whose lives had been upended.“

“Jill coordinated numerous appointments, lab tests, scans and countless other details, in addition to communicating with multiple specialists on our behalf.“

“She always gave us hope when hope was hard to come by. Besides me, she was Rick’s biggest cheerleader.“

“Even when we went from therapeutic treatment to hospice care, Jill did not stop helping us. Like she promised, she did ‘not go anywhere.’ She made a tremendous difference in our lives. As my husband would say, ‘I don’t know what I would do without Jill.’ He surely was not the first to say this and will not be the last.“

AHCI is so fortunate to have Jill on our team. Thank you for all you do for your patients every day and congratulations!