A Voice of Courage, Innovation, and Impact
Leadership often emerges from unexpected places. Sometimes it is born not in boardrooms or corporate strategy meetings, but in moments of personal adversity where resilience meets purpose. For Lisa Crites, that moment came during one of the most challenging chapters of her life.
Today, Crites stands as a globally recognized medical journalist, media strategist, patented inventor, author, and advocate for breast cancer patients. Her work has influenced healthcare communication, patient innovation, and global awareness around post-surgical recovery and dignity for patients.
With more than three decades of experience in medical journalism, corporate healthcare communications, crisis management, and media relations, she has navigated a unique professional path that bridges journalism, healthcare strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Her invention, The SHOWER SHIRT™, revolutionized how chest-surgery patients manage post-operative hygiene. What began as a personal necessity during recovery from breast cancer surgery ultimately evolved into a globally distributed medical product helping thousands of patients worldwide.
But beyond innovation, Crites’ story is one of human resilience, purpose-driven leadership, and the power of storytelling in shaping healthcare awareness.
The Early Path: A Passion for Medical Journalism
Long before she became an inventor or author, Lisa Crites built her career in journalism.
She began as a health and medical broadcast journalist in Orlando, Florida, working in the television market where she reported on medical breakthroughs, patient stories, and healthcare developments. Her work allowed her to translate complex medical information into accessible narratives for the public.
She was the original Health and Medical television anchor and reporter for Central Florida News 13, now part of Spectrum News.
Her broadcasting career also included work with America’s Health Network, which later became Discovery Health. She also contributed to programs such as “Success Central Florida” on WKMG-TV.
Throughout these years, Crites built a reputation for accurate, responsible, and human-centered medical reporting.
Yet her curiosity extended beyond journalism. She wanted to understand the business and regulatory side of healthcare, an area that many journalists rarely explore.
This desire led her to transition into media strategy roles for major healthcare systems, where she oversaw public affairs strategy for medical legal issues, crisis communication and media management.
These roles exposed her to the complex intersection of healthcare regulation, privacy laws, ethics, and hospital administration.
The experience broadened her professional perspective and ultimately laid the foundation for her future work in innovation.
A Life-Changing Diagnosis
Crites had always planned to return to television journalism. But life had other plans.
During what should have been a routine chapter in her professional life, she received a diagnosis that would alter her future forever.
Breast cancer.
The diagnosis required a bilateral mastectomy, a major surgical procedure that involves the removal of both breasts.
For many patients, the physical and emotional recovery process is overwhelming. But for Crites, recovery revealed something unexpected, a glaring gap in patient care.
After surgery, she was discharged from the hospital with surgical drains attached to her chest. Doctors advised her not to expose the surgical sites to water to avoid infection, stating bacteria and pathogens in tap water could increase exposure to contamination.
But there was a problem.
There was no product available to help chest-surgery patients shower safely.
Instead, patients were forced to improvise with plastic bags or household materials to keep surgical areas dry.
Crites remembers the moment vividly.
“I had just undergone a bilateral mastectomy, and there I was trying to shower with a plastic trash bag tied around my body. It was frustrating and humiliating.”
— Lisa Crites
For a medical journalist accustomed to investigating healthcare solutions, the situation was shocking.
Women had been undergoing mastectomies for decades, yet no water-resistant garment existed to help them during recovery.
That realization sparked an idea.
The Birth of an Innovation
During recovery, Crites began speaking with other breast cancer patients.
Almost all of them had experienced the same challenge.
They too had resorted to plastic bags, plastic wrap, or improvised solutions to shower after surgery.
The more she heard these stories, the stronger the idea became.
She decided to create a solution.
Despite still recovering from surgery and dealing with multiple complications, including infections and hyperbaric oxygen treatments- Crites began designing a product.
Her idea was simple but powerful: a water-resistant garment designed specifically for chest-surgery patients to wear while showering.
The concept soon became The SHOWER SHIRT™.
Working with her brother, an engineer, Crites developed the first design schematic. Her aunt and cousin helped produce the initial prototype.
The early models went through multiple iterations before a final version was created.
When she tested the first prototype in the shower, the result was encouraging.
It worked.
From Idea to Patent
Turning an idea into a product is never easy. Turning it into a patented medical device is even harder.
Yet Crites remained determined.
She applied for a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, a process known for its complexity and high rejection rates.
The product ultimately received U.S. Patent No. 8,516,613, covering both design and method of use, a rare achievement often described by patent attorneys as the “gold standard” of patents.
The garment was later classified as a Class I Medical Device.
This milestone transformed the product from a personal solution into a legitimate medical innovation.
Soon after launch, hospitals, mastectomy boutiques, and medical suppliers began carrying the product.
Within a short time, The SHOWER SHIRT® was distributed through:
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Hospital Gift Shops
- Home Medical Equipment (HME) retailers
- Durable Medical Equipment (DME) retailers
- Mastectomy Boutiques
And international e-commerce platforms like Health Products for You, Cure Diva, and Pink Lotus Elements
The garment has since reached patients in countries including:
Canada, Australia, Japan, Israel, Singapore, India, Spain, Portugal, Türkiye, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.
Recognition on the Global Stage
Crites’ invention quickly attracted international attention.
In 2015, she won the InnovateHER Competition, a national initiative sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Microsoft, and The Washington Post.
The award recognized innovations designed to improve the lives of women.
Her work also earned a Patient Innovation Award from the Catholic University of Portugal.
That recognition led to an invitation to present at the World Government Summit in Dubai, one of the world’s leading forums for innovation and policy.
The product was later featured in exhibitions hosted by the Science Museum London, highlighting global medical innovation.
Crites’ story has also appeared in major media outlets including:
- Forbes
- HuffPost
- Reader’s Digest
- CNN
- Fox News
- NBC
Her invention has been recognized not just as a product, but as a symbol of patient-driven innovation.
Advocacy and Policy Impact
Crites’ work extended beyond product development.
She also became involved in legislative advocacy.
Working with members of the U.S. Congress, she helped support the introduction of the Post‑Mastectomy Infection Reduction Act.
The legislation sought to ensure that Medicare would cover shower garments when medically necessary to reduce infection risk for breast cancer patients.
“Women deserve dignity when facing something as difficult as breast cancer recovery.”
— Lisa Crites
Although the legislation has faced challenges, it sparked important conversations about post-surgical care and patient dignity.
Leadership Philosophy: The CARGO Principle
Through every phase of her career, Crites has remained guided by a personal philosophy she calls CARGO.
Each letter represents a value that shapes her decisions and leadership style:
C – Courage
A – Authenticity
R – Resilience
G – Gratitude
O – Originality
“These five values reflect how I have lived my life and how I hope to continue living it.”
— Lisa Crites
This philosophy has helped her navigate challenges ranging from personal health crises to entrepreneurship and global advocacy.
The Power of Medical Storytelling
As a journalist, Crites believes that accurate science communication is essential for public health.
In an era dominated by social media and digital information, misinformation about health topics has become increasingly common.
For Crites, credibility and accuracy remain the foundation of responsible journalism.
“Accuracy is critical in medical journalism. I always rely on clinical experts, doctors, surgeons, psychiatrists- to ensure the information is correct.”
— Lisa Crites
Her writing today includes columns for publications such as Elysian Magazine, where she covers healthcare topics and medical innovation.
She also ghostwrites medical articles for physicians publishing in professional journals, and president/CEO’s publishing guest columns on top media platforms like the Orlando Sentinel.
A New Chapter: “Beautifully Unbroken”
In 2026, Crites will release her autobiography titled Beautifully Unbroken: A Life-Changing Invention Born of Loss, Cancer, Courage, and Faith
The book chronicles her life journey, from journalism to personal tragedy, breast cancer survival, entrepreneurship, and invention.
It explores deeply personal experiences, including:
- her mother’s fatal accident
- the emotional impact of divorce
- the challenges of cancer treatment
- the resilience required to invent a product, attain a patent, and build a company from scratch
“The book tells the story of how loss, courage, faith, and innovation shaped my life.”
— Lisa Crites
A portion of the proceeds from the book will support organizations that help women undergoing breast cancer treatment.
Global Impact and Philanthropy
Beyond her professional achievements, Crites has remained deeply committed to philanthropy.
Her volunteer work includes:
- Central Florida Second Harvest Food Bank
- Central Florida Homeless Coalition
- National Breast Friends Advisory Council
She also serves on several nonprofit boards, including organizations focused on healthcare, community development, and arts programs.
Her mission remains consistent: helping others through education, innovation, and storytelling.
The Legacy of a Survivor-Inventor
Looking back, Lisa Crites describes herself as an “accidental inventor.”
Yet her journey reveals something deeper.
Her work demonstrates how personal adversity can become a catalyst for global innovation.
From a journalist covering medical stories to a survivor creating medical solutions, Crites has transformed her experiences into something meaningful for thousands of patients.
Today, The SHOWER SHIRT® stands as a reminder that innovation does not always begin in laboratories or corporate research departments.
Sometimes it begins in a hospital room, with a problem waiting for someone brave enough to solve it.
And in solving that problem, Lisa Crites has reshaped the conversation around patient dignity, healthcare innovation, and the power of resilience.
Please make sure to add the links once the design is created –
Facebook Beautifully Unbroken: https://bitly.cx/5tKAd
Personal Facebook Profile: https://bitly.cx/HkgtB
Website: https://lisashowershirt.com/
