Atrium Health Floyd

After more than 30 years serving Cartersville Parks and Recreation, James Gordy looked forward to retirement filled with golf, travel, horseback riding and family. A routine physical changed everything when testing revealed prostate cancer. After surgery, he believed it was behind him, but years later rising PSA levels showed it had returned. He began radiation at Atrium Health Floyd in Rome, completing 38 treatments that soon became part of a meaningful daily routine.

Each morning, Gordy joined others in the waiting room, watching ESPN, sharing encouragement and building friendships. One connection stood out as the two communicated through writing and bonded over golf, life and Darlington football.

“I really didn't mind going to the Cancer Center because of the people,” Gordy said.

“The people there really do care,” he said. “If you let them in your world, then you’ll find out about their worlds too. They were such a delight.”

“I had to have a mindset of discipline rather than defeat,” said Gordy.

In May 2025, he rang the bell. Today, he is back riding and urging others, “I always tell people, go get your physicals and your PSA test,” Gordy said. “I mean it because I didn’t have any symptoms.”

Learn more about how Atrium Health Floyd and the Harbin Clinic lead the way in cancer care: https://bit.ly/469P8aC

Congratulations nurses!

Atrium Health Floyd is proud to announce that 8 nurse residents successfully completed the six month New Graduate Nurse Residency Program.

Atrium Health Floyd’s New Graduate Nurse Residency (NGNR) Program is a clinically and instructionally intensive program designed to ensure that each resident has the opportunity to experience clinical environments that best meet the needs of both the resident and the hiring department. Residents are recent nursing graduates with less than six months of experience and participate in both ancillary and clinical immersions throughout Atrium Health Floyd.

Learn more about our nurse residency program: https://bit.ly/3S0goyC

At 14, Natalie suffered an MCL, ACL and meniscus tear that took her off the soccer field and into months of physical therapy. What followed was nearly a year and a half of hard work to rebuild strength, mobility and confidence.

“It was rough,” Natalie recalled. “There were days I cried. My knee wouldn’t move the way I needed it to, but we kept pushing.”

With the support of Alex, her physical therapist at Atrium Health Floyd Physical Therapy and Rehab, she stayed committed. Step by step, she regained strength and eventually returned to soccer, only to face another setback when she tore her other ACL the following season.

For many, that could have been the end of the road. For Natalie, it became a turning point.

“She showed incredible determination and mental toughness,” Alex said. “For a high school student to go through that twice and keep showing up every day says a lot about who she is.”

Natalie leaned on her faith, her family, and her care team to get through it. “I prayed every day,” she said. “That’s what carried me.”

After recovering a second time, Natalie made a difficult decision not to return to soccer, but to pursue a new path. At 17, she joined the Army National Guard and completed basic training before her senior year.

Now 18, she is graduating from Coosa High School and is preparing for Advanced Individual Training in the National Guard while planning a future in healthcare, inspired by her experience in physical therapy.

“Going through this helped me realize I want to help others,” she said.

Looking back, Natalie credits much of her progress to the encouragement she received along the way.

“Alex pushed me every single day,” Natalie said. “Even when it was hard, he never let me give up, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”

Learn more about Atrium Health Floyd Physical Therapy & Rehab:
https://bit.ly/4pLXGMN