Nurse who made miracle recovery after near fatal crash celebrates the profession and her colleagues on International Nurses Day
A nurse who made a miracle recovery after being involved in a road accident is now caring for patients alongside her colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Megan Morris was travelling home near Dolgellau eight years ago when she lost control of her car in bad weather. Due to her life-threatening injuries she was transferred to the Royal Stoke Major Trauma Centre.
After nearly seven weeks in Intensive Care, Megan defied the odds and made a full recovery after spending over eight months in hospital.
Having gone through a life-changing experience, the 25-year-old says she has an overwhelming sense of debt to the NHS.
She said: “Things looked very grim for a long time when I was in intensive care. It was a miracle in itself that I was still alive considering my injuries but there were many setbacks – my family were told even if I did regain consciousness, I would have lifelong disabilities due to the devastating head injuries I’d sustained. My parents started thinking of buying a house better adapted for a wheelchair.
“Doctors and nurses could only do their best for me, which they undoubtedly did. But a complete recovery and the fact I am now a nurse is nothing less than a miracle!
“Having gone through such a radical experience, I left hospital with an overwhelming sense of debt to the NHS.
“When I went back to my studies after the accident I knew that I wanted to ‘give back’ to the service that had given me so much.
“I was in two minds of either studying medicine or nursing and I couldn’t make my mind up. It wasn’t until someone asked me “who did you appreciate the most when you were in the hospital bed?” that I realised with a new perspective that nursing was for me.
“The nurses were there for me every hour of the day – be that a midnight chat or to decorate the day room in the rehab for my 18th birthday.
“Seeing as I have been a patient in the hospital bed myself, I’ve been given a unique standpoint which inspires me to provide others with the same level of care I received from some incredible nurses.
“I can empathise on another level with the patients I now care for and become an advocate for them in a way that’s often personal. I consider it such a privilege to care for others at their most vulnerable as I once was.”
Megan who started as a newly qualified nurse at Ysbyty Gwynedd’s Emergency Department in October 2019 said she never expected to deal with a global pandemic within the first six months of qualifying.
She said: “Starting as a nurse in the Emergency Department where I was initially treated after my accident was very significant for me. In a way, it was a profound ‘full circle’ which only emphasised how far and miraculous my recovery has been.
“However, the last thing I considered happening during my career, let alone within the first year, was a global pandemic!
“Despite being out of my comfort zone at times, I’m doing my best to embrace a positive attitude and a willingness to learn and develop new skills as this is a completely unique opportunity.
“The team I work with are fantastic and so supportive. There is a feeling of unity in the task that lies ahead – that we’re in this together.”
Megan says that kind gestures to the NHS and Ysbyty Gwynedd’s Emergency Department during this time have been very much appreciated by herself and her colleagues.
“It’s lovely to see rainbows in windows far and wide that give a sense of respect and encouragement to us in the NHS – however, the truth of the matter is the NHS will always step-up to face the challenge and we will continue to deliver care in the most adverse of circumstances.
“My hope is that COVID-19 will drive a much needed change in the way the NHS is viewed. That it will be prioritised and protected from now on, as well as having the recognition and praise it has always deserved,” she added.