CHARLOTTE — Georgette Caldwell has been in oncology nursing since 2018 caring for patients with cancer.
She raves about her job.
“I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Caldwell told Channel 9’s Elsa Gillis. “I think it’s one of the best things that I could have done.”
However, her life took a drastic turn in 2020 when she ended up a patient in her very own unit. Caldwell was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was cared for by her colleagues.
“My coworkers tried to keep my spirits up a whole lot, and I was so thankful for that,” she said.
A stem cell treatment was successful, and she was in remission and back at work in 2023 when the cancer came back.
She kept her faith through yet another health battle. During the cancer relapse, she was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder that left her bedridden for six months.
“My legs just stopped working,” Caldwell said. “I had to crawl to a nearby chair and try to get up that way, and it was so scary.
Today, Caldwell is in remission again and back at work after a brutal rehab process.
“Sometimes, I think that we go through things to encourage others who you may not even see that you’re encouraging, and it’s a testimony,” she said.
Now, Caldwell has a new perspective when treating her patients.
“One day, I was walking from a patient’s room, I just felt like a light had lit in me because I realized my purpose,” she said. “I may not be 100% who I used to be, but I am here, and I can let someone else know that you can be here.”
Caldwell is now a case management nurse in the oncology unit with Atrium Health.
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