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

The two formed a special bond when she was hospitalized; the nurse went above and beyond to ensure the teenager did not miss an important opportunity.

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

Almost six months ago, Grace was a patient at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines after an accident she never saw coming.

“We were having a lot of fun and then we rolled and hit a bump and then it crushed my arm,” Grace described.

The ATV accident crushed his artery and bones.

“At that point, all I could really remember was seeing all this blood and I was like, ‘Is my arm even going to make it?'” Grace said.

Grace underwent nine surgeries and an extended hospital stay, but her mother, Jennifer Johnston, says one of the hardest things to watch was the emotional toll and missing a major milestone.

“It was very emotional because she was devastated that she missed school and she missed prom,” Grace’s mother said.

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

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

“As we got closer to prom day, I knew it was getting closer and I said to Makenzie, like, ‘Hey, I’m just scared,’ and I was crying and I was like, ‘You don’t know what to say to her ‘,” Jennifer Johnston described. “And Makenzie said, ‘Let’s do something.’

So, they set a goal.

“I didn’t tell him about the prom, but I said, ‘Hey, at the end of the day, we’re going to walk this hall. We’re going to get up and do it,’” McBee said.

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

In a room 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 to see the smile and happiness on her face, it was totally worth it,” McBee said.

In the same room, they reunited six months later, giggling, smiling and hugging again.

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

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

It wasn’t the prom she imagined, but it’s one she’ll never forget.

Grace has big plans to attend her prom this year.

She also spoke at schools in Iowa, warning other children about the dangers of ATVs.

Copyright 2024 KCCI via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.