Chordoma Foundation Nurse Navigator, Sara Cox (center), with Dr. Greg Cote and patient Susie Rinehart
We’re enhancing our Patient Navigation Service with the addition of our first Nurse Navigator, Sara Cox, who is bringing new clinical expertise to the free, individualized support we provide chordoma patients and loved ones.
Since its launch, our Patient Navigators have helped more than 4,000 patients and family members around the world understand chordoma, find experienced specialists, prepare for treatment decisions, explore clinical trials, and access trusted information and resources.
Now, as part of our new 2030 Strategic Plan, we’re strengthening this program to provide more in-depth, specialized support to people facing complex treatment decisions, helping them access evidence-based care.
Thanks to work the chordoma community has driven and funded over the past 20 years, chordoma care options have expanded considerably. Until relatively recently, the central question for most people was where to have surgery and radiation. Today, decisions increasingly include whether a drug therapy is an option for advanced disease, what a tumor profiling report means, and whether a clinical trial is worth pursuing. Sara's clinical training means our navigation team is now better equipped to help patients work through these complex decisions, and prepare for the conversations they'll have with their own doctors.
Before joining the Foundation, Sara spent more than a decade building and leading a neuro-oncology and spine tumor patient navigation program at a major medical center, giving her extensive experience helping patients navigate complex treatment decisions, care coordination, and other challenges that can stand between them and the care they need.
In her first months working with our community, Sara has been impressed by the unique level of commitment she’s observed: “What stands out to me is the depth of participation in the Foundation’s mission. Patients’ and family members’ lived experiences, participation, generosity, and priorities drive the work, and clinicians and researchers bring expertise and a commitment to providing better care and creating new possibilities. Seeing all of those contributions come together is rare—and incredibly powerful.”
"I'm excited to be a part of this community,” she adds, “and I can't wait to meet and support many of you along the way."
Whether you’re newly diagnosed, facing a recurrence, considering clinical trials, or navigating follow-up care or survivorship, we encourage you to contact a Patient Navigator to help you understand your options, connect with experienced care, and navigate what comes next.