Understanding the Whole Person Behind their Cancer Diagnosis

At the ASCO 2025 Annual Meeting, Dr. Joshua K. Sabari sat down with Jackie Herigodt, a patient advocate, to discuss her organization, Imerman Angels, and her experiences with cancer, as well as expanded on the importance of understanding a patient beyond their cancer diagnosis.

Herigodt serves as the director of Partnerships and Engagement, a Cancer Support specialist, and director of Programs and Outreach at Imerman Angels. Sabari is the editor in chief of CURE. He also serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and director of High Reliability Organization Initiatives at Perlmutter Cancer Center.

“I've been with Imerman Angels for almost 13 years now. Imerman Angels matches people; we offer peer-to-peer, one-on-one cancer support for all cancer fighters, survivors, previvors, and caregivers. This way, they can find comfort and understanding from someone who has been there, so they don't feel isolated or alone because they have their mentor,” Herigodt said of Imerman Angels.

Sabari then went on to commend Herigodt for this important work, noting that when he meets a patient with a new cancer diagnosis, they often are strictly looking for hope and opportunities to cure their disease.

Herigodt goes on to say that when a new patient approaches Imerman Angels, that patients will share factors beyond their diagnosis, such as if they are a parent, their relationship or financial status, as well as their emotional state following their diagnosis. This helps the organization understand who the patient is beyond their disease. That patient will then go on to be paired up with another individual, referred to by Herigodt and the organization as an 'angel', providing mentorship and comfort.

The pair concludes their conversation with advice for oncologists to better care for patients who are striving for hope and balancing that with quality of life.

“It's in your brain, it's in your heart, it's taking over your whole life. Not having an oncologist who pays attention to that makes the situation much harder for the patient, and also for their families. So, I would just ask oncologists to remember that these people are human. I know it's hard,” Herigodt concludes.

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