'Laugh And Make Progress': Woman Who Lost Leg In Morristown Train Incident Remains Upbeat

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Lisa Fitzgerald has collected quite a few new t-shirts since losing her left leg on May 4.

Fitzgerald had been visiting her brother, sister-in-law, and new baby niece in Morris Plains and was rushing to catch a train at the Morristown station that evening when she slipped and fell onto the tracks, severing the leg and requiring an above-the-knee amputation.

“And that’s just what it was, just one trip, one slip,” she said in a recent interview with Patch. “And that’s all it took to go through.”

When none of the people standing above came to help, Fitzgerald – who said she is used to running six miles a day and doing other workouts – was able to haul herself up on the platform and yelled for help until a New Jersey Transit employee came to her assistance and then ran to find Morristown Police.

Patch checked in with the “Miracle of Morristown” last week, as she is settling in back at her apartment in Queens. She was cleared to return home on June 1 after being in an inpatient rehab facility for about 10 days.

She has kept a positive attitude about her recovery and has demonstrably shown good cheer while going through intense rehabilitation therapy, and preparing to start with a prosthetic.

“The leg’s gone, I can’t get it back. That’s decided,” she said. “Where do we go from here? Forward. Laugh about it, and make progress.”

Another example of that good cheer is the t-shirt she wore on a Zoom call with Patch – which read “IHOP.” Fitzgerald sent photos of a few more amputation-pun-related shirts, which are all accompanied with a grin.

She also insisted on having “nub-shaped” foods for her 30th birthday, which was spent in the hospital – with the menu including taquitos, pigs in a blanket, carrots and hummus, eclairs, and other items consistent with the party theme of “Glamputation.”

Fitzgerald is one of eight children, so the party was well-attended, and she said her family also celebrated Mother’s Day and her sister-in-law’s graduation at Morristown Medical Center.

She said she had just moved into their apartment two weeks before the accident happened. Her family members also came over to help organize the leftover moving boxes and her bags from the hospital, and clear some space so she’ll be able to move around with crutches.

“The good thing about it being a small New York apartment is that there’s always something around for me to grab if I need it,” she said.

She has support from family, friends, loved ones, and also people she has never met thanks to the wide reach of the Internet. A GoFundMe campaign has raised close to $128,000 as of June 11 to help support the cost of her rehab, care, and prosthetics.

“It’s so touching, the outpouring of love and support from strangers,” she said.

With her stitches recently removed, Fitzgerald she will be able to start with a “shrinker” to help shape the rest of her leg before she gets her first prosthetic.

She is looking ahead to both that process, and to getting back to work as a financial advisor. She said the pain from the amputation site has been “totally manageable” day-to-day, but nerve pain has been plaguing her from where doctors had to move her sciatic nerve.

Supporters have sent messages through the GoFundMe that have helped keep her spirits up, Fitzgerald said.

“So many people have shared things that have been helpful with managing the pain or outlooks or even just saying how they dealt with it, or how long they dealt with it has been so amazing and helpful for me and my mindset and emotional state.”

And, Fitzgerald is also looking toward how she might use this experience to help others.

When she has recovered more, Fitzgerald said she has been asked to come back to the hospital to share her mindset and positive outlook with younger victims of traumatic injuries like hers.

“I’ll be doing something else besides speaking at the hospital, for sure,” she said. “I just don’t know what it is yet.”

You may read more about Fitzgerald’s story, and support her recovery journey via GoFundMe here.