A terrifying accident
On November 4, 2024, Ed Walsh and his wife received a call that no parent wants to get.
“Bella was in hysterics, saying ‘Dad, I was in a wreck, and I can’t get out of the car.’ It felt like a 5,000-pound weight was on my chest.”
Bella Avila had driven home to Wilmington, NC that afternoon to have dinner with her family, but more than halfway back to her dorm in Greenville, she hit a car in the road.
“The road was dark and very rural. I hit a car that was in the middle of the road after it hit a deer.”
What followed was chaos. It took a moment for Bella to realize what had happened. She was trapped in her car, wedged between the guard rail and the other woman’s vehicle.
“My phone contacted emergency services, and I called my parents. Dad asked what I could and couldn’t feel, and I couldn’t feel my legs. I thought I was paralyzed.”
“I asked her where she was at and she didn’t know,” Ed said. “I told her we were on the way. We looked like rodeo clowns, wearing whatever we found, and we probably set the land speed record driving to Greenville.”
“A breath of fresh air”
By the time Ed and his wife arrived in Greenville, Bella had already been cut out of her car and transported to the ECU Health Maynard Children’s Hospital emergency department (ED).
“There’s your kid with the neck brace on and she’s crying. Her mom is crying. I went into Marine mode and decided I’d cry later. Everyone was nice and did their jobs well,” Ed shared.
“The ECU Health staff were amazing,” Bella confirmed. “They cared for me even though I was terrified. I was in pain, and I didn’t know what was going on. No one knew what was wrong with me. I had bruising from the seat belt, but at first, they thought I was bleeding internally,” Bella said. “They told me I shouldn’t be alive, with how mangled my car was. I was freaking out. Then Reagan came in and she was like a breath of fresh air.”
Reagan Crowe, staff nurse II in the ED, met Bella and her family when she began her day shift.
“This experience was very scary for her. She was 18 but her parents weren’t there yet. I can only imagine how frightening that was to be alone, and I’m sure it was terrifying for her parents,” Reagan said.
Reagan joined ECU Health in 2023, and she realized she wanted to be a nurse after participating in a career exploratory program with NC State University. “Unfortunately, NC State doesn’t have a nursing program, so when I decided to pursue nursing, I transferred to East Carolina University (ECU).”
None of Reagan’s clinicals were in the emergency department, but she wanted to try it out. “I knew I wanted to work with children, and the ED lets you see a lot of different things every day. We have a wide population coming in for many different reasons.”
When Reagan met Bella, she said she felt a connection with her. “We’re close in age, and it was evident she is close with her parents – I’m close with my parents, too,” she said. “Bella stayed in the ED through my entire shift, which is not typical, so I got to know her and her family better. I feel lucky that I did.”
“She saw me as a terrified 18-year-old and she treated me more as a friend than a patient,” Bella shared. “I’ve had my fair share of doctors and nurses care for me, because I was a cheerleader in high school and got injured frequently, but Reagan was the most caring person. I’ve never seen a nurse take care of my parents so well. She talked to them and spent her time with us like she didn’t have any other patients. It changed my entire perspective on nursing.”
A change of plans
Bella said she had considered working in health care before, but she had never been sure of which path to take. “I had already changed my major three times,” Bella shared. “Her career plans ranged from nurse to physical therapist to dentist to doctor,” Ed added. “After working with Reagan, she said, ‘Dad, I know what I want to do with my life – I want to be a nurse.’ Reagan gave Bella clarity, direction and was the example of everything she had been looking for. She changed the trajectory of Bella’s life.”
As soon as Bella was released from the hospital three days later, she changed her major to nursing and began taking steps to apply for the bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program at ECU.
“It was one of those life-altering experiences that changes your perspective on everything,” Bella said of her accident. “I should have died that night, and I didn’t. Why not shoot for the big things in life and live every moment to the fullest?”
Bella later reached out to Reagan to ask for advice. “Two or three months after my accident, I texted Reagan and asked her out for coffee so we could chat about what I should expect when applying to nursing school. We met and talked for more than two hours, and not just about nursing. We also became friends.”
Meanwhile, Ed and his wife wanted to show their appreciation for the care Bella received. They decided to nominate Reagan for a DAISY Award, an international program that recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary, compassionate care nurses provide.
“I don’t go around writing up people for awards all the time,” Ed laughed. “I couldn’t say all I wanted to in the DAISY Award nomination, but nurses make an impact on people’s lives every day. That’s something that doesn’t come in milligrams, and you can’t put it in an I.V.”
When the family found out Reagan had been selected as a DAISY Award honoree, they wanted to join the celebration. “We had to sneak into the ED so we could be there when she received the award,” Ed said.
“Seeing Reagan’s face light up when she realized what was happening made me so happy – it was one of the most rewarding feelings of my life,” Bella said. “I got to put the DAISY pin on her badge, and to be a part of that moment felt full circle.”
Later that same day, Bella took the entrance exam for nursing school.
“The ED team made me a good luck bag for the exam, and I can’t be more grateful for what they’ve done for me. Eight months ago, I didn’t see myself as being a nurse, but taking the exam the same day we celebrated Reagan felt like fate.”
Reagan is quick to point out that she’s not the only nurse deserving of the DAISY Award, but she’s grateful for the recognition.
“I have imposter syndrome because there are so many other nurses deserving to be recognized,” she said. “ED visits are so chaotic and quick, and our nurses sometimes get forgotten. Our whole team is amazing, and I have learned from the best. I feel lucky to be recognized.”
This summer, Bella continues to take nursing school prerequisites, and in the meantime, she thinks she might want to work in the Children’s ED. “For the longest time I thought I’d want to work in Labor and Delivery, but since my accident, I’ve contemplated the ED for kids. Children are so resilient and have a fight – I love that. Whatever I do, I hope I can work at ECU Health after I graduate.”
Bella and her family said they can never repay Reagan for her calm professionalism and kindness, but celebrating the work she does by nominating her for the DAISY Award was a good start. “She deserves this award hands-down,” Ed said. “Some people go their entire lives wondering if they ever made a difference, but I’m here to tell you Reagan Crowe doesn’t have that problem.”
To learn more about the DAISY Award or to nominate a deserving nurse, visit their website.