Alright – so today we have the honor of introducing you to Lisa Crites. We think you will enjoy our conversation; we have shared it below.

Lisa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we would love to hear the story and details.

The defining moment in my life was being diagnosed with breast cancer, as it changed the trajectory of my career.

My initial journey began as a health and medical broadcast journalist in Orlando, Florida, reporting for Channel 13, and anchoring for America’s Health Network on the backlot of Universal Studios. After years of covering medical news, I wanted to learn the business side of healthcare. I was soon hired to develop a media relations department for a multi-hospital health system, overseeing corporate media strategy and crisis communications.

Everything changed after my breast cancer diagnosis, leading to a double mastectomy followed by unexpected infections and surgical complications. During recovering, I was advised not to shower unprotected to mitigate the risk of infection. After showering in a plastic trash bag, I was determined to create a better solution for future patients. I soon invented The SHOWER SHIRT™, an award winning, patented, water-resistant garment designed to protect chest surgery patients. The invention has been sold worldwide, receiving national and international awards and global media recognition.

Only last fall, during negotiations to sell The SHOWER SHIRT Co., a publishing house out of Los Angeles, reached out about authoring a book on breast cancer survivorship and subsequently, inventing a patented product for breast cancer patients. That request took much encouragement, but I am excited to say the book will be published in May 2026.

Titled, BEAUTIFULLY UNBROKEN – A Life Changing Invention Born of Loss, Cancer, Courage and Faith, the story captures the journey of my family’s tragic loss, the devastating consequences of a complicated cancer diagnosis, the inspirational story of overcoming adversity through invention, the power of faith, and the act of encompassing unexpected strength and self-purpose through conviction and perseverance.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we have a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I began my career in journalism, where accuracy and trust were essential. I have worked as a health and medical reporter and anchor for a range of respected media outlets, including Central Florida News 13 in Orlando, America’s Health Network, now part of Discovery Health, PBS, WCPX-TV Channel 6, CNTV, NADA TV, and the Travel Channel. In these roles, I have covered complex topics for wide audiences, translating both medical and business information into language that viewers could understand and rely on. My reporting experience placed me at the intersection of healthcare, public education, and human impact, a perspective that would later shape my work as an inventor.

Through this journey, I have lived a life shaped by storytelling, problem solving, and a deep understanding of how a thoughtful post-surgery design could restore dignity for patients during vulnerable moments. Through this history, I was able to bring the discipline of medical journalism into the world of medical innovation for patients worldwide.

This skillset became invaluable after I underwent a bi-lateral mastectomy. During recovery, I faced a challenge that many patients encounter, but few discuss openly. Surgical drains, essential for healing from the surgical trauma, were difficult to manage during everyday activities such as showering. Existing options were uncomfortable, impractical, or nonexistent. Drawing on my instinct to observe problems closely and search for workable solutions, I began designing a garment that could protect surgical drains and post-surgery sites from water exposure while allowing patients to shower safely and independently.

The result was The SHOWER SHIRT™, a water-resistant garment created specifically for post-surgical care, for chest surgery patients. Designed to be easy to use and comfortable to wear, it addressed a real and often overlooked need for recovery. I secured a U.S. Patent, No. 8,516,613 for the garment’s design and method of use, formalizing my transition from journalist to inventor. The product was later classified by the Food and Drug Administration as a Class I Medical Device, reflecting its role as a minimal risk but highly practical healthcare solution. Today, The SHOWER SHIRT™ is available through a range of retail and medical supply platforms, reaching patients and caregivers around the world.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The first time we applied for the patent, for The SHOWER SHIRT, we were denied.

We had filed a provisional patent application, which granted us temporary patent pending status for my water-resistant garment invention, but exactly one year later, the application was denied.

My patent attorney, Chris Brody called to explain that the USPTO believed we were infringing on several existing patents. He sent me the list of citations, and I went to work. For nearly two weeks, I reviewed every reference line by line, writing detailed responses explaining why The Shower Shirt™ did not infringe on any existing intellectual property. None of the cited patents resembled our design or method of use. The majority had never even been brought to market.
I was frustrated. How could they claim infringement on something that did not exist, either commercially or in practice? If it had existed, thousands of mastectomy patients, including me, would not have been reduced to showering with trash bags taped to their bodies. I later learned that rejection is not an exception at the USPTO. It is the rule. Nearly 90% of patent applications are initially denied, and roughly 70% of those are eventually approved after amendments and persistence. The process is designed to test resolve.

So, we submitted the amended application. Then, just three weeks later, the impossible happened. We were granted an official patent, from the United States Patent & Trademark office not only for its design, but also for its method of use. That combination, my patent attorney told me, was considered the gold standard in patent protection. I felt extremely blessed, and honored, especially after learning that only 7% of women in the United States (at the time) held patents, with the other 93% awarded to men.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Absolutely not. I was fortunate in choosing the appropriate profession. Medical journalism has carried me through a 30-year career. The news field took me from reporting to anchoring, to media strategy in the corporate offices of two large hospital systems; from covering the Natalee Holloway missing persons search in Aruba, to becoming a patented inventor of a medical device, ghostwriting guest columns and medical journals for doctors across the United States, and serving as a health and medical print columnist for a national magazine.

My passion for medical journalism has never left me. Most television news stations chase ratings, fires, crimes, and the next political scoop, but my heart was always in health, medical, and alternative wellness stories. It was never just about reporting. It was about learning, understanding, and then teaching. Over the years, I have written columns for Florida Today, USA Today, The Huffington Post, Elysian Magazine, Pure Living Nashville, the Osceola News Gazette, the Orlando Sentinel, and other platforms, covering everything from the psychology of obesity and mental health, to biohacking, neuromuscular therapy, upper cervical care, breast cancer, and both alternative and allopathic medicine. I have always included expert voices: medical doctors, surgeons, chiropractors, and psychiatrists, because clinical accuracy matters above all else. Readers have written to tell me that my columns helped them better understand eating disorders, cervical spine issues, and even the science behind donating blood. Those responses remind me that journalism, at its core, is education, and if a column can support the health of even one reader, then every hour of research is worth it.

Writing medical columns, is the same reason I invented The Shower Shirt™ and agreed to write Beautifully Unbroken, which was ultimately to help others. If my book can help one cancer patient feel less alone. One breast cancer survivor, who is exhausted and discouraged. One inventor doubting that a painful idea could become meaningful. One woman who has lost her mother. One person seeking entrepreneurship. One Christian struggling with doubt. One person, more spiritual than religious, but seeking something deeper. If it reaches even one heart, every vulnerable page of Beautifully Unbroken will be worth writing.

So, a mission that began more than fifteen years ago, when I simply wanted to help women shower safely after mastectomy surgery, continues in another form. The same patient population that inspired The Shower Shirt™ will benefit again, this time through words in a book, instead of fabric.

A portion of the proceeds from each book will be shared with nonprofit organizations and breast cancer support groups. For more information on Beautifully Unbroken, scheduled for May 2026 publication, please follow our Facebook page or Authors Website.

Contact Info:

• Authors Website: https://lisashowershirt.com/
• Beautifully Unbroken Facebook: https://bitly.cx/5tKAd
• Lisa F Crites Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.crites.50
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crites305/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-f-crites-34089534/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lisacrites4887

Image Credits

No credits