Mission Moment: Moving from Pain to Laughter

John DeMore looks at Shepherd Center as “God’s gift to anybody who can get there.” He had been in pain for years under the care of a physician who he says treated his complaints with morphine. “He believed in keeping everybody high,” John says. “I couldn’t live with that.” 

At Shepherd, Erik Shaw, D.O., medical director of the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd, took him off morphine and started him on a medical pump, a spinal stimulator, and physical therapy. Shepherd “helped me tremendously,” John says. 

John, who owned a lock and key service, was carrying a clipboard and some parts for a safe in 1991, when he slipped on gravel, fracturing his back in seven places. Surgery left him in constant pain. Post-surgery pain is a common issue for clinic patients, says Marsha Hanson, MBA-HM, BSN, RN, CRRN, Shepherd’s director of outpatient services. The Spine and Pain Institute also treats clients whose discomfort results from injuries, arthritis, and various other causes. Treatment can include procedure-based and minimally invasive interventions, psychological care, physical therapy, and yoga. “We’re also developing more of a wellness program,” Hanson says. 

John adds his own personal twist to pain treatment. At Shepherd, he is known for his jokes. “Some of them are a little on the smutty side,” he admits. But, he adds, “Laughter is good medicine.”

Written by Gayle White

This story is an excerpt from “Mission Moments: 50 Years of Rebuilding Lives One Moment at a Time,” a book celebrating Shepherd’s 50th anniversary in 2025. You can explore the full eBook or purchase a hardcover copy here.