Still I Rise: Why I Chose to Proceed

I never planned to share this.

Not like this. Not publicly.

What started as a work injury claim turned into something much darker — and somewhere along the way, the legal portal became my trauma journal.

I found myself writing not for the judge, not for the opposing counsel, not even for my employer.

One night, around 3 a.m., after yet another delay, another denial, I broke down and typed this — not out of strategy, but survival.

I wrote it for me.

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This isn’t legal argument.

This isn’t part of a case.

This is my statement of purpose.

And now I’m choosing to share it — not because I have to, but because I’m finally ready to say: I survived. And I’m still rising.

See below.

My unadulterated truth got under opposing counsel’s skin.

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Statement of Purpose — Why I Chose to Proceed

I want to be very clear:

I do not care if I win or lose this case.

If I lose, I will simply appeal — because at this point, it’s not about the outcome.

It’s about reclaiming the voice that was taken from me.

I never wanted litigation.

I never wanted hearings.

All I ever asked for was therapy.

And I begged for that, repeatedly — through emails, calls, internal reporting systems.

I was denied.

The clinic took my voice away.

I was forced to stay silent. Told not to speak to staff. Told to “stay in my lane.”

And when I tried to escalate real concerns about safety and retaliation, I was told by the Chief Operating Officer that “the relationship is broken” and I should consider “future opportunities.”

T h a t. m o m e n t. b r o k e. m e.

I literally fell to the floor and cried. Alone. Injured. Unheard.

But I got back up.

And the version of me that rose is someone different now — someone who knows that silence can kill, and truth can heal.

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I’ve reconciled with the fact that I will pay for my own treatment — because I must, if I want to survive.

But I will not pay for it with silence. Not anymore.

This isn’t about money.

This is about dignity.

This is about voice.

This is about every injured worker who was denied their humanity, their healing, and their right to be heard.

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I look forward to my hearing.

I look forward to the truth being spoken in full view.

Because I didn’t just survive this system.

I’m standing now — and I will be heard.

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“I never wanted a problem…

But if you want a problem — no problem.”

— 50 Cent (and now Dr. Stephenson, MD, MBA)

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Sharisse Stephenson, MD, MBA, FAAN

Board-Certified Neurologist

ADA-Protected. Still Standing.

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