A nurse ally in Carol’s cancer battle
[Allina Health Newsroom, September 11, 2025]
Carol Frazee began her fight against rectal cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the isolation many people felt at the time, Carol soon discovered she wouldn’t be alone in her work to get healthy.
“The commitment that Allina has made to provide me with a nurse navigator — it’s been so important,” Carol said.
After a CT scan detected a concerning mass, Carol and her doctor scheduled treatment at Allina Health Cancer Institute at United Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., near where Carol works as an emergency medical services (EMS) manager.
The next day, Carol got a call from someone who would become a trusted health ally: Jessica Steinke, RN, an oncology nurse navigator with Allina Health Cancer Institute.
“She was warm and very approachable,” Carol said. “She felt like a neighbor or someone I knew for a long time.”
Carol says Jessica started organizing her care even before that first phone call was over, telling her about the colonoscopy that had been scheduled for the following Monday.
Carol was grateful to have Jessica with her for a post-colonoscopy appointment, when her doctor informed Carol she needed immediate surgery.
“As you can imagine, this information was just hitting me in ways that made it kind of hard to process,” Carol said. “Jessica took notes and printed them, so I had something to take with me.”
In the months that followed, Carol had surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Eventually, she began receiving immunotherapy, which was key to beating cancer. Jessica supported Carol throughout it all.
“She was always at the ready to take care of things,” Carol said.
As her second anniversary of completing primary treatment nears, Carol’s scans show no signs of the disease. She continues to be monitored through regular checkups and scans and remains in touch with Jessica.
Carol says that even though her work makes her savvy about the health care industry, she wouldn’t have been able to navigate the system without Jessica's support.
“Having someone to call around and find the services that I needed and make those appointments, and to reassure me, I can't say enough about how super helpful that piece is,” Carol said, her voice breaking as tears filled her eyes. “I’ve been going through this for three years, and I still get emotional about it.”
Pictured below: Jessica Steinke, RN, and Carol Frazee
“The commitment that Allina has made to provide me with a nurse navigator — it’s been so important,” Carol said.
After a CT scan detected a concerning mass, Carol and her doctor scheduled treatment at Allina Health Cancer Institute at United Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., near where Carol works as an emergency medical services (EMS) manager.
The next day, Carol got a call from someone who would become a trusted health ally: Jessica Steinke, RN, an oncology nurse navigator with Allina Health Cancer Institute.
“She was warm and very approachable,” Carol said. “She felt like a neighbor or someone I knew for a long time.”
Carol says Jessica started organizing her care even before that first phone call was over, telling her about the colonoscopy that had been scheduled for the following Monday.
Carol was grateful to have Jessica with her for a post-colonoscopy appointment, when her doctor informed Carol she needed immediate surgery.
“As you can imagine, this information was just hitting me in ways that made it kind of hard to process,” Carol said. “Jessica took notes and printed them, so I had something to take with me.”
In the months that followed, Carol had surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Eventually, she began receiving immunotherapy, which was key to beating cancer. Jessica supported Carol throughout it all.
“She was always at the ready to take care of things,” Carol said.
As her second anniversary of completing primary treatment nears, Carol’s scans show no signs of the disease. She continues to be monitored through regular checkups and scans and remains in touch with Jessica.
Carol says that even though her work makes her savvy about the health care industry, she wouldn’t have been able to navigate the system without Jessica's support.
“Having someone to call around and find the services that I needed and make those appointments, and to reassure me, I can't say enough about how super helpful that piece is,” Carol said, her voice breaking as tears filled her eyes. “I’ve been going through this for three years, and I still get emotional about it.”
Pictured below: Jessica Steinke, RN, and Carol Frazee
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