Inspirational Stories

Originally from northern New York, Christen moved to Denver, Colorado, in 2015 after completing her Bachelor of Science of Nursing at Le Moyne College to pursue a career in cancer care. Through a close relationship with her grandparents, she saw how her grandma, a retired registered nurse, graciously cared for her grandpa while he lived with esophageal cancer for close to a decade. The unwavering love, dedication, and courage they shared inspired Christen to seek out a specialty that allowed her to provide compassionate, holistic care to those in need.

From 2015 to 2022, Christen served patients at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center and the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute in many roles, including charge nurse, clinical nurse coordinator, and nurse manager. Her passion points included nursing empowerment, education, and advocacy. Since 2019, she has been a member of the hospital fundraising committee for Light The Night (LTN), organizing events to help their team raise over $50K for the cause. 

After continuing to be inspired by her courageous patients, she aspired to do more to support them. Through this, Christen spearheaded a multidisciplinary policy and advocacy group that included nurses, providers, social workers, coordinators, finance people, and leadership. Through that channel, Christen joined The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Colorado State Advocacy Committee which she continues to participate in today. She has had the opportunity to meet with local representatives and participate in meetings with senators to advocate for legislation that supports blood cancer patients.

With a firm belief in the mission and values of LLS, Christen was excited to join the Clinical Trial Support Center as a Clinical Trial Nurse Navigator in September 2022. This role has allowed her the opportunity to connect with patients and their families across the nation to support them through education, advocacy, and decision-making support while providing a genuine human connection.

Christen is also an advocate for blood donation, enjoys hiking and skiing the Rocky Mountains, exploring the western slope with friends, spending time with her family, and downtime at home with her dog, Piper, and cats, Ned and Olive.