No Bridge Too Far: What Patients Wish Their Caregivers Knew with Joanna Burgess BSN

A Narrative Health Coach works as a bridge between where a client or patient is and where he or she would like to be. Because of her depth of experience as both patient and practitioner, Joanna Burgess has worked for years as a bridge between the worlds of patients and those of the medical and scientific communities. Join Joanna in her deeply personal and powerful conversation with Reggie Marra.

Bio:

Joanna Burgess, BSN, RN, CWOCN embraces a continually diversifying career, ranging from pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center to enjoying a private practice in the holistic modalities of massage and healing touch therapy, to establishing a clinic for the treatment of lymphedema in Chapel Hill, NC, to working with geriatrics at WakeMed in Cary, NC as a wound and ostomy nurse. Diagnosed with bladder cancer in 1965 and despite grueling medical treatments throughout her growing years, Joanna always knew she wanted to be a nurse and give back to patients in a kind and gentle way. She was honored to be the national recipient of the Great Comebacks Award in 2011. This program recognizes individuals who have overcome bowel or bladder disease resulting in ostomy surgery, and who have been inspirational both in their personal lives and in what they have given to their communities. Joanna has shared her story on state, national and international levels.