A familiar face to VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital is continuing to build relationships with patients in a new department. Leigh Anne Brewster, FNP-C, of Kenbridge, sees patients at the Hendrick Cancer and Rehabilitation Center in South Hill who are undergoing chemotherapy as well as those who have completed treatment. As part of VCU Massey Cancer Center’s care team at CMH, she helps with symptom management and partners with her colleagues to make sure they are meeting all patients’ needs and concerns.

“We're really fortunate to have a great cancer center right here in Southside Virginia,” Brewster said. “Our nurses are amazing and they really excel at taking care of our patients.”

Brewster started out working as a nurse at CMH’s emergency department in 2015. She earned her bachelor’s in nursing from Western Governors University and a master’s in nursing as a family nurse practitioner from Chamberlain University. While she now works full-time in the cancer center, she also has a couple of shifts in CMH’s emergency department each month to keep up her skills.

Being in a constantly changing environment where new medications and new treatment approaches arise daily, Brewster spends extra time researching guidelines and resources to make sure patients are treated efficiently.

“Because we create these bonds with not only patients, but also their families, we see them frequently and communicate often, which makes it really difficult when we lose someone,” she said.
 
Brewster says she loves building relationships with her patients, who describe her as an empathetic and respective active listener. She understands how humbling it is to help someone during a vulnerable time in their journey. 

“They have a life-lasting impact and teach us a lot about life, like perspective, courage, resilience and faith,” Brewster said. “They teach us about living with cancer instead of dying with cancer.”

For more information on the services and providers at the Hendrick Cancer and Rehabilitation Center, visit the website or call (434) 447-0876.