Lauren Carmody, right forefront, scribes while Hannah Sleppy, PA, examines patient, Sonia.
Whoever has ears, let them hear – Matthew 11:15
I was working with Michelle Cornell, APRN, a few weeks ago and when we walked into an exam room. I immediately noticed that her patient was hunched over in his chair. A million things ran through my mind -- Was the patient sick? Did we need to call for help? Michelle confidently walked into the room, put everything she had down on the counter, looked the patient in the eyes, and said five words to him - “Tell me what’s going on.” An open-ended question, no strings attached. The patient poured out his heart and told her about the incredibly difficult things he was facing. She never stopped or interrupted him. At the end of the conversation, Michelle offered several services to the patient, but he declined and said, “I think I’m good – I really just needed someone to listen.” He left a completely different person than the one who walked through the door.
It was such a powerful moment and a beautiful reminder that the simple act of listening can be profoundly impactful. According to one source, listening is referred to 412 times in the Bible. Its emphasis in scripture must be indicative of its importance. Because in listening, we learn. In listening, we can better understand those around us. In listening, we can change lives.
This act of listening reminded me of my own story and how one physician who chose to listen changed the trajectory of my life. In 2012, I was practicing law at a firm in downtown Orlando when I started experiencing excruciating pain at the base of my skull. I made an appointment with my primary care physician, but he dismissed my concerns. My symptoms persisted. A few months later, I lost complete function on the right side of my face. I went back to my PCP, he diagnosed me with Bell’s Palsy and asked me to return in 6 months. He also referred me to ophthalmology because the paralysis was impacting my eye.
The ophthalmologist that he referred me to was Margaret Poulos, one of our dedicated Grace volunteers. I went to see her, and when she walked into the exam room (much like Michelle) she said five words to me – tell me what’s going on. I told her everything and she listened intently. She told me she was studying for her board recertification and had just read the section on Bell’s Palsy. All of her instincts told her that something didn’t add up. She didn’t think I had Bell’s Palsy and ordered an MRI.
I got the MRI and Dr Poulos’ instincts were right. The imaging revealed a large tumor at the base of my skull. A few weeks later I had surgery at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida where my doctors discovered that I had chondrocarcoma, a rare bone cancer. After I recovered from surgery, I was referred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for oncology. My oncologist in Boston would often tell me, “You are here today because your ophthalmologist chose to listen.”
By the end of 2012, I was deemed NED (no evidence of disease) by my doctors. Although we were overjoyed that I had received such encouraging results, I would require lifelong surveillance due to the nature of chondrosarcoma. This was a difficult reality to digest. I so desperately wanted to be cured so I could move on with my life. I had no idea how to live scan to scan, in a constant state of uncertainty. I was struggling spiritually and mentally. A friend encouraged me to go on a retreat to process my emotions. While I was there, I met with a priest who suggested I make a list of the ways cancer had blessed my life. I was infuriated. It felt so insensitive. How could cancer be a blessing? After taking some time to process his suggestion, I heeded his advice. I started to write and I couldn’t stop. Among the many blessings that stemmed from my cancer diagnosis were the doctors, nurses, and medical professionals I met during my journey.
When I returned to my law office after our time in Boston, all I could think about was the incredible impact the medical profession made on my life. I felt like God was calling me into healthcare but there was one problem – I was a lawyer. How do you walk away from a decade worth of legal work to pursue something totally different? While contemplating this life change, my husband and I found out that we were expecting our first child. My pregnancy was picture perfect, until it wasn’t. At 23-week’s gestation I unexpectedly went into preterm labor. Despite our doctor’s best efforts to delay our son’s birth, he was born 16-weeks prematurely weighing just 1 pound, 12 ounces. There I was again, thrust back into the healthcare system. We lived in the NICU for 109-days. Thankfully, our son had a miraculous outcome, but our experience solidified that I had been called into healthcare.
In 2017, I began exploring the process of shifting careers and I enrolled in my first post-baccalaureate class. Around that same time, I was invited to an event called Let’s Say Grace that benefited Grace Medical Home. There, I reconnected with Stephanie Garris, who I had met many years prior in the Junior League of Greater Orlando. She was now serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Grace Medical Home. Also a lawyer who found a way to serve in healthcare, Stephanie quickly became a trusted mentor. After listening to my story, she invited me to Grace. I began volunteering in 2019 in Care Coordination and then became a Gap Year Intern in 2024.
The second day of my Gap Year Internship, Dr. Carter stopped me and said, “Lauren, I think one of the reasons God brought you here was so we could encourage you in your journey.” A few days later, unaware of this conversation, Michelle Cash pulled me aside to offer words of encouragement. I was caught so off guard by her kindness that it brought me to tears. When I embarked on this new career path, many people questioned my decision to leave the practice of law. Although I felt confident in my calling, my resolve was shaken on more than one occasion. Grace has been different. Every single person I have encountered at the clinic has unequivocally supported my journey. They have prayed with me, over me, and for me. They have taken the time to teach me with incredible patience. They have gone out of their way to support my studies, offer gentle advice and constant encouragement.
People often ask if being at Grace has solidified my desire to pursue healthcare. My answer is unequivocally, yes. Being at Grace each day fills my life with indescribable joy. Starting each day with devotion has strengthened my spiritual life and has kept Christ at the center of my time at the clinic. I have been privileged to work alongside incredible providers. I have watched breathtaking transformations and have witnessed life after life improved for the better. I have learned from staff members who meet every challenge with profound love, compassion and empathy. I have thought often of Dr. Carter’s comment over the last few months. She knew from the beginning what it took me months to learn – that I needed Grace as much as Grace needed me.
I have volunteered with many organizations over the years and Grace is, by far, the most special place I have ever invested my time. The culture of Grace is different, and you can feel it from the moment you walk in the door. Everyone who works at the clinic, from the registration desk to the exam rooms, wants to be there. They believe in the mission of the organization and work every day to put their faith into action.
Much of our lives are public, but in healthcare, we often come alone. Without family, friends, support. I was alone when I got that phone call from Dr. Poulos, my husband and I were alone in the NICU with our medically fragile child. Healthcare providers, by proxy, stepped into the role of family and friends for us. I know, first-hand, the impact that healthcare can have on an individual, and I see it every single day at Grace. Exam rooms are transformed into sacred spaces and our providers become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to the suffering. Your investment in Grace Medical Home carries long-lasting impacts far beyond treating a medical condition. Much like the gentleman who walked into the clinic hunched over and distraught, every single person that enters the doors of Grace leaves in a better place than when they came.
