A Dolgellau woman who made a miracle recovery after a road accident, was inspired by her experience to become a nurse - and is now caring for patients during the Covid-19 crisis.

Megan Morris was travelling home near Dolgellau eight years ago when she lost control of her car in bad weather. She suffered life-threatening injuries, and was taken to the Royal Stoke Major Trauma Centre.

After nearly seven weeks in intensive care and eight months in hospital, Megan defied the odds and made a full recovery.

The 25-year-old says the life-changing experience gave her an overwhelming sense of debt to the NHS – and inspired her to become a nurse.

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.

“My complete recovery and the fact I am now a nurse is nothing less than a miracle!”

Megan says her experience is helping her care for patients during the current crisis. “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,” she said.

Megan said: “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. 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, 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!

“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.”