My Biomarker Navigator™
Helping You Get On Top of Cancer with Biomarker Navigation
Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be as daunting as climbing Mount Everest. You've never done this before and need a guide.
Trekking In
Free initial consultation
Base Camp
Gathering information
Vertical Climb
Getting biomarker testing
Technical Climb
Translating technical terms
The Summit
Ongoing support
What Is a Biomarker Navigator?
Today’s cancer patient needs a “science translator” to explain cancer biology in understandable terms and a navigational guide to escort her/him on a technically challenging route to the best possible outcome. Many patients don’t understand tumor biomarkers and don’t know what questions to ask or how to advocate for their own tumor biomarker testing. My Biomarker Navigator™ services help make sure that your tumor has been tested for all molecular markers that can indicate which therapies you should receive.
My Biomarker Navigator™ is:
- An expert escort on a difficult expedition
- A mentor and chaperone on a technically challenging journey
- A guide to those unfamiliar with an area
- Someone who helps you find your way
How does it work?
My Biomarker Navigator™ is laser-focused on guiding you through the pre- and post-tumor biomarker testing (or re-testing) process, helping you understand the importance of getting tested, explaining your test results, and answering all your questions.
Services are on a tiered menu, depending on where you are in your “climb.” You can use as little or as much of the Navigator’s time as you need to reach your personal “summit.”
Most services are free, while some fees are on an hourly rate based on a sliding scale. The goal is to help you regardless of whether you can pay. Please ask how together we can make this work for you.
1. Initial Consult
An introductory, live discussion about where you need the most help to understand or navigate your care. No obligation, free consultation up to 1 hour.
2. Engagement
Based on the initial consult, the Navigator will propose an engagement service for the exact assistance you need or will be totally honest if Biomarker Navigation services are not what you need. You will receive a simple, written agreement to review and sign to begin 1:1 assistance.
3. Working Together
The goal is to empower you! We’ll work at the frequency and pace you need to accomplish full confidence and partnership in your care. Together we set a flexible, as-needed arrangement that may include emails, phone calls, or videoconferences as you prefer. When you need support, the Navigator is there for you. When you need a break, it’s understood.
4. Focus
My Biomarker Navigation™ services are focussed on helping you get all “standard of care” biomarker testing at a minimum and comprehensive biomarker testing as the ideal. Services include education on what biomarkers are, how they are tested, and how test results influence treatment decisions. The Navigator explains the technical terms to you in ways you can understand which helps you ask important questions to your clinical team. Please see more details in the “Services” tab.
5. Out-of-Scope Services
My Biomarker Navigator™ does not provide the following services:
- Medical care plans; any licensed medical advice
- Medical treatment, prescriptions, or side effect management
- Integrative medicine advice or treatment
- Any type of professional therapy or psycho-social counseling
- Financial services (insurance navigation, reimbursement)
Feedback
“Your invaluable advice has got me started, feel I finally have an advocate in my corner and I’m not trying to do this all alone. Means everything to me.”
“Your insight and advice is so appreciated. Very grateful…I’ve become a much more educated patient.”
“I was lost on where to begin and this provides me with a clear road map, actually a fabulous GPS!”
“I am honestly still in awe. I could have never found all this information by myself!”
Testimonials
Patient - Metastatic Colon Cancer
“My journey began in 2020. Like many others with a cancer diagnosis, I knew next to nothing. Standard of care led me to radiation, surgery and chemo…NED for only 6 months, before a problem with my liver. I don’t know what divine intervention put Kimary in my life, but she has truly been my guiding light. She helped me advocate for genetic testing, a change and upgrade to an NCI facility and an amazing opportunity to have my genetics and mutations matched with state of the art medications. She has been a source of guidance and honest feedback every step of the way and I truly believe I’m on my way to health because of her… I am just so grateful for her advice and expertise on this journey. I’m a more knowledgeable and empowered person thanks to her. Honestly don’t know where I would be without her expertise. Without hesitation, I recommend Kimary to anyone going through a cancer diagnosis.”
Family Member - Glioblastoma
“When my dear cousin who lives in a foreign, non-English speaking country was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, it felt like a punch in the gut. The day I learned about his diagnosis another cancer survivor put me in touch with Kimary who I wrote a plea for help. Kimary responded immediately with a wealth of information, in the most compassionate way. She stayed in our lives through thick and thin, making herself available on a daily basis, finding the best biomarker testing sites in a foreign locale, connecting us to her impressive network of experts – all with the aim of finding the best possible cure for my cousin. Words cannot describe how grateful we are to her for being our sherpa, our advocate, our listening ear. She is extremely organized, very articulate, and, most importantly, an amazing human being. Kimary was able to remove our fear out of the process by arming us with information, setting reasonable expectations and showing by her own example how to fight cancer – relentlessly, every day, not taking “no” for an answer. Kimary truly shines the light in the darkness of despair!”
Spouse - Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) + Family Member- Pediatric Cancer
“In 2021, a few months after the birth of my daughter, cancer of unknown origin was discovered in my then 34-year-old wife. No one knew where the tumor directly came from, although many laboratory tests were available. Thanks to Kimary and her connections, it was possible to connect with leading experts in the US and consult with them about the ongoing treatment in our country as well as the results that could modify the treatment itself. As fate would have it, another cancer occurred in our family this year, in a 4-year-old girl, where again Kimary without hesitation provided us with her rich professional experience and the opportunity to consult the available laboratory results. I can personally recommend Kimary and also would like to thank her for her relentless humane, dedicated and professional approach.”
Patient - Multiple Myeloma + Caregiver - Glioblastoma
Kimary answered our questions and coached us on how to navigate the daunting world of cancer treatment. Her knowledge of oncology helped us with things like exploring clinical trial options, understanding test results, and asking the right questions when we met with our doctors. She was a trusted and compassionate advocate for us.