My Journey as a Nurse, Patient, and Advocate

By Lisa Michelle Moore

For 36 years, I dedicated my life to nursing.

I served patients at East Georgia Regional Medical Center, part of Community Health Systems. Over the course of my career, I have likely cared for more than 60,000 patients. Nursing wasn't just a job for me—it was my calling.

East Georgia Regional Medical Center

My passion for caring for others began at home. After my grandmother suffered a stroke, my mother moved her into our home. Helping care for my grandmother showed me the profound difference compassion can make in someone's life. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to become a nurse.

Throughout my career, I worked primarily in Medical-Surgical nursing and became known for my expertise in starting IVs. I could work on virtually any unit and took pride in the experience and knowledge I gained over the years. I loved caring for the elderly, advocating for patients, and helping people through some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

Then, everything changed.

The Accident That Changed My Life

On March 20, 2017, while driving to work at EGRMC, I was involved in a devastating accident. An 18-wheeler double tanker struck my vehicle, pushing it sideways. The impact was so severe that I blacked out.

I remember realizing the tanker had me and praying for God to save my life.

A man named Earl Canty came to my rescue while I was unconscious inside my vehicle.

The accident left me with serious injuries and lifelong consequences. I suffered trauma to my back, neck, and shoulders. I later underwent back and shoulder surgeries. I developed post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, sciatica, hypervigilance, flashbacks, and countless sleepless nights.

The government deemed me disabled. My employer deemed me disabled. My doctors deemed me disabled.

Yet the road to justice would bring another heartbreak.

A Trial and More Questions Than Answers

Nearly four years passed before my case finally went to trial.

I believed that after years of pain, surgeries, trauma, and medical testimony, I would finally receive justice. Instead, I was left with confusion and disappointment.

How could a jury hear testimony from the people who treated me and still conclude that I was capable of returning to work?

How could they acknowledge four years of pain and suffering, yet deny compensation for future pain and suffering?

How could they award lost wages for the past four years but not recognize future loss of earnings?

These questions have stayed with me ever since.

The trial itself was emotionally devastating. I broke down on the witness stand while reliving the trauma and was threatened with contempt of court by the judge. My nursing career—the career I loved—was effectively gone.

State Farm had told me I would never win. In the end, I was left feeling as though the system had failed me.

Continuing to Serve Others

Despite my own struggles, I never stopped helping people.

I began assisting elderly individuals in accessing local food banks through a community effort called "Baking It Forward." Food banks supported me, and community members donated to help others in need.

Even while carrying my own burdens, I continued to serve.

That is who I am.

New Health Challenges

In recent years, I developed Urticarial Vasculitis, a rare and painful condition for which there is currently no cure.

As my health challenges grew, I chose to share my story publicly. My goal was never attention—it was awareness. I wanted others who were suffering to know they were not alone.

I spoke with media outlets, including WTOC-TV, and continued advocating for patients and individuals facing similar struggles.

Feeling Forgotten

What hurts the most is not the injuries, the surgeries, or even the illness.

What hurts is feeling forgotten.

I gave more than two decades of my life to the hospital where I worked. I have been recognized as Nurse of the Year, Nurse of the County, Hometown Hero, and Employee of the Quarter.

Nurse of the Year Award

Yet during Nurses Week, there was no recognition.

No phone call.

No acknowledgment.

No response.

I wrote a four-page letter to hospital administrator Scott Pennington. I followed up with phone calls. I received no reply.

Organizations and advocates have attempted to contact hospital leadership on my behalf. Even media inquiries have gone unanswered.

For someone who dedicated her life to caring for others, the silence has been deeply painful.

Still Standing

There are days when I feel defeated.

Days when the pain feels overwhelming.

Days when the disappointment weighs heavily on my heart.

But I am still here.

I continue to fight.

I continue to speak.

And I continue to believe that God has carried me through every challenge I have faced.

I live with an incurable disease.

I live with the consequences of a life-changing accident.

But I also live with faith.

And for me, that is enough.

This is my story.

A true story.

The story of a nurse who gave everything she had, only to feel abandoned by the institutions she once served.

Yet despite it all, I remain standing.

Because God is not finished with me yet.

— Lisa Michelle Moore