When Words Are Not Enough: Helping Patients Feel Heard and Understood

Pink October | Community Navigator Series – Story 3

For Siti Nordiana, being a Community Navigator is about more than providing information or connecting patients to support. It is about finding ways to reach people, especially when fear, uncertainty or communication barriers make an already difficult cancer journey even more challenging.

Sometimes, the greatest challenge is not knowing what to say. It is finding a way to ensure that a patient feels heard, understood and supported.

With patience and compassion, Siti Nordiana attends to a patient, offering guidance and reassurance to help make their cancer journey a little less overwhelming.

One encounter that has stayed with Siti involved a patient who was deaf and unable to speak. When they first met, Siti quickly realised that communicating with the patient would not be straightforward. She did not understand sign language, while the patient was trying to communicate with her.

Siti could only imagine how frustrating and frightening the experience must have been for the patient, who was already facing the uncertainty of cancer treatment.

“What made the situation even more difficult was that she was very afraid of going through treatment,” Siti recalled.

As a Community Navigator, Siti wanted to reassure the patient, address her concerns and help her understand what would happen next. However, she knew that simply speaking to the patient would not be enough. She needed to find another way to bridge the communication gap.

Fortunately, the patient was accompanied by her sister, who understood sign language. With her help, Siti was able to communicate with the patient, understand her fears and concerns, and ensure that the information she needed could be conveyed to her.

Her sister became an important bridge between them, allowing Siti to better understand the patient’s needs while helping the patient receive the guidance and reassurance she needed.

The experience left a lasting impression on Siti.

“Imagine being afraid of treatment, having so many questions and worries in your mind, but not being able to express them or understand the information being given to you,” she reflected.

For patients facing cancer, communication is essential to understanding their care and navigating the next steps of their treatment journey. When a patient cannot communicate easily, feelings of fear and uncertainty can become even more overwhelming.

Siti’s experience reinforced an important lesson: supporting patients requires flexibility, patience and a willingness to find different ways to reach them.

“Sometimes, helping a patient does not mean having all the answers ourselves. It means finding another way to reach them, whether through a family member, a colleague, a community member or someone the patient trusts,” she explained.

For Siti, the encounter was a reminder that communication goes beyond words. It is about making sure patients feel included, understood and valued, particularly when they are at their most vulnerable.

More than information, a reassuring presence

Through her work with Cancer Research Malaysia (CRMY), Siti has come to understand that every cancer patient carries a story that extends beyond their diagnosis. Some face financial difficulties, others struggle with transportation, while many must navigate unfamiliar healthcare processes and the emotional weight of treatment.

At Pink Ribbon Centres (PRCs), Community Navigators help patients navigate these challenges by listening to their concerns, guiding them towards available assistance and connecting them with the support they need.

Siti Nordiana uses the Know Your Lemons kit at the Pink Ribbon Centre to help raise awareness of breast health and the importance of recognising potential signs of breast cancer.

For patients who struggle to express themselves or understand the information being shared, this support becomes especially important. Sometimes, it means involving a trusted family member to help facilitate communication. At other times, it means taking the time to listen, explain and reassure a patient who may be frightened about what lies ahead.

Siti believes that patients should not have to navigate these challenges alone.

Her experience with the deaf patient reminded her that a person’s ability to communicate should never determine whether they feel included in their own healthcare journey. What matters is the willingness to understand their needs and find a way forward together.

“Communication is more than words. It is about making sure a patient feels heard, understood and included, especially when they are at their most vulnerable,” she shared.

It is this understanding that continues to shape Siti’s approach to her work, meeting patients where they are, recognising their individual needs and helping them find the support they need to move forward.

Every patient deserves to be heard

Siti Nordiana carefully reviews a report as a part of her commitment to supporting patients and helping them navigate their cancer journey.

A cancer diagnosis can bring countless questions, fears and uncertainties. For patients who face additional communication barriers, accessing information and understanding their treatment journey can be even more challenging.

Siti’s story reminds us that meaningful support begins with empathy. It requires us to look beyond what a patient can or cannot express and recognise the person behind the diagnosis, someone who deserves to be heard, understood and treated with dignity.

Through the work of Community Navigators and Pink Ribbon Centres, CRMY strives to help patients navigate the challenges surrounding their cancer journeys and connect them with the support available to them.

But this work cannot continue without the generosity and commitment of people who believe that every patient deserves a better chance at navigating cancer.

To our existing donors, supporters and well-wishers, thank you for standing with CRMY and helping make this work possible. Your contributions help sustain efforts that connect patients with guidance, resources and support when they need them most.

As we mark Pink October, we invite more individuals, organisations and communities to join us in making a difference. Your support can help CRMY continue its mission of improving the lives of people affected by cancer through research, innovation and patient support.

Together, we can help ensure that no patient is left struggling to find their way simply because their needs are not understood.

Support Cancer Research Malaysia. Because every patient deserves to be heard, understood and supported throughout their cancer journey.

Written by,
Dr Shamini
Cancer Research Malaysia