Girl injured in ATV accident reunited with nurse planning surprise prom at hospital

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) – An Iowa girl seriously injured in an ATV accident received a special surprise from her nurse.

When he was hospitalized, the two formed a special bond; The nurse did her best to make sure the teen didn’t miss a milestone event.

“I never thought I’d walk these halls like this again,” said Martensdale-St Marys Community School District student Grace Johnston.

About six months ago, Grace was a patient at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines after an unexpected accident.

“We were having so much fun, then we rolled over and hit a crash and my arm was crushed,” Grace recounted.

The ATV accident crushed his artery and bones.

“All I can really remember at that point was seeing all this blood and thinking, ‘Is my arm going to make it through this?'” Grace said. “I thought,” Grace said.

Grace had nine surgeries and a long stay in the hospital, but her mother, Jennifer Johnston, says one of the hardest things to watch was the emotional loss and missing a major milestone.

“She was very emotional because she was so upset about missing school and missing prom,” Grace’s mother said.

“It’s funny because the first question I asked after surgery was ‘When can I go to prom?'” the high school student said. “It happened,” he said. “They say, ‘You can’t go to prom, girl.’ You should lie down.

That’s when Grace’s mother confided in her nurse, Makenzie McBee.

“We knew it was getting closer and closer to prom day, and I told Makenzie about it, and I said, ‘Hey, I’m scared of this,’ and I would cry and say, ‘I’m not doing it.’ I know what to tell her,” described Jennifer Johnston. “And Makenzie said, ‘Let’s do something.’ ”

So they set a goal.

“We didn’t tell him about prom, but I said, ‘Hey, we’re going to be walking down this aisle at the end of the day. We’re going to stand up and do this,’” McBee said.

Her first steps since the accident took her to prom at Blank.

In a room filled with a disco ball, a red carpet, and music, Grace tearfully hugged her nurse because she knew the extra effort was a labor of love.

“Just seeing the smile and happiness on his face was worth it,” McBee said.

Six months later, they reunited in the same room, giggling, smiling and hugging again.

Grace says the women on her team at Blank not only helped her arm heal, but also helped heal the scars that couldn’t be seen.

“The biggest thing was that they cared about us and could relate to us and understand what we were going through, because if they hadn’t done that, I don’t think I would have recovered mentally either.” said Grace. “You feel lucky when you meet these people in your life.”

This wasn’t the prom she had dreamed of, but it was one she would never forget.

Grace has big plans to attend this year’s prom.

He also gave speeches at schools in Iowa, warning other children about the risks of ATVs.

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