Narjust Florez: 3 years ago I started my job at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Narjust Florez shared on X:

“3 years ago on this same date, I started my job at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

2021 was one of the most challenging years in my life

*Diagnosed with TOS 3 d before the move and ended in the ICU *

High-conflict divorce wuth lawyers, etc

*Moving to a new city by myself with one good arm.

I didn’t know how resilient I was until I had to be discharged home by myself after learning that due to COVID-19 restrictions my family couldn’t come.

I learned the value of true friendship thanks to Maria Mora Pinzon

Despite being alone, I felt loved from the distance.

Stopping to care for my health didn’t ruin my career or damage work relationships

Work will always be there but you ONLY have a few chances to get better

My mentor Lecia Sequist saved me by finding a TOS surgeon in Boston in hours.

I learned that saying NO didn’t hurt

I was forced to say No but helped me develop the muscle to create boundaries that never existed before

And how to be precise when seeking help to anyone – colleagues, friends, family.

Finally, I saw how happiness was about the little moments more than a destination I stopped waiting for the ‘paper to be submitted’ ‘the grant to be revised’ before I bought those concert tickets or went to see grandma.”

Source: Narjust Florez/X

Narjust Florez is the Associate Director of the Cancer Care Equity Program and a Thoracic Medical Oncologist at the Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center. She is the principal investigator of the Sexual Health Assessment in Women with Lung Cancer (SHAWL) Study, the largest study to date evaluating sexual dysfunction in women with lung cancer. In addition, Dr. Florez founded the Florez Lab in 2019. The laboratory focuses on lung cancer, social justice issues in medicine, and medical education.