‘Badass nurse’ thriving after horrific crash

It's happily-ever-after for one local woman as the fifth anniversary of the car accident that forever changed her life approaches.

On July 4, 2015, Stacie Reis, a University Hospital of Northern BC neo-natal intensive care unit nurse, was heading to Kitimat from Prince George to see her dying grandfather one last time.

She stopped at the Kitwanga store for an ice cream cone and that's pretty much all she remembers until she woke up in her upside down crashed car where it had come to rest down a 40-foot embankment.

She believes she fell asleep at the wheel.

When Reis regained consciousness, her legs were at an unnatural angle from the knee down and her nursing experience told her she'd have to straighten them to prevent the circulation being cut off. 

So she did.

Later, a doctor told her taking that action probably saved her from amputation.

Her car was not visible from the road so Reis lay in her car for 14 hours before friends who were searching found her. 

Reis said she relied on her faith for strength as she lay trapped in the car waiting for rescue. During that same night, her grandfather passed away.

The accident left her with both legs and ankles broken, a broken pelvis, a broken sternum, multiple rib and spine fractures and feet so broken it took many years of surgeries to repair them as best they could be. Amputation continued to be a threat, especially after a bone infection took hold.

When the Citizen told her story in the summer of 2015, it quickly spread internationally. Buzzfeed called her a “badass nurse,” a nickname that stuck during her lengthy recovery. During the first year after her accident, she endured 12 operations to repair her broken body. It was two years before she returned to work.

Now, five years later, things have changed for Reis. 

"When you go through something like that, it changes you," Reis said. "It helps you realize what your priorities are - what the most important things are in your life. Our family is closer than ever and of course I always get a little extra stressed when my people are on the highway now."

Her faith continues to carry her through all challenges. 

She has a little dog named Gus. He's a Shih tzu Havanese, who is a registered therapy dog. Gus helped her during the times her post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms would arise, which was quite prominent when she moved back to Prince George after spending time living in Prince Rupert with family as she healed. 

"So I have had to work through that," Reis said. 

She sought out a counselor and received support from family, friends and co-workers, she added.

Time has also been a healer.

"When it comes to lasting effects, I still have more anxiety than I did before the accident but for the most part I walked away from it with a lot less affects than some other people in similar situations," Reis said. "It's pretty well managed."

Since those issues have since been resolved, Gus is happily in retirement.

Physical issues, however, will always be present.

Both ankles are fused so her mobility is decreased, she.

"Every once in a while I get a limpy day but otherwise I don't think anyone would be able to tell," Reis said. "I just have to make sure I remember my limits and don't push myself too hard."

She found a bungalow with no stairs to live in and she had to change jobs to one that is kinder to her feet but she's still at UHNBC, providing support to patients, nursing full time, which is something she loves to do.

The major change was not a professional one but a personal one.

Dating proved to be intimidating after the accident, Reis said. 

"After something like that you're always self-conscious when you're dating," she added. "I'd always wonder when I was meeting someone new - what if he wants me to hike with him or do all these things I couldn't do - so it was pretty scary when I have had such a major life change happen."

But finding her husband-to-be was easy.

They met online. They went on a date and they fell in love at first sight. 

"It was a bit of a whirlwind romance," Reis laughed. "We've had a fairly short courtship and engagement."

Mitch Kidd asked Reis to marry him after dating for two months. 

"Once we got engaged we had planned a nice summer wedding but then COVID happened," Reis said. "In the end we realized it's a crazy time and a crazy world and we just wanted to be together so we decided to do a cute little social distanced backyard wedding and on May 10 we got married."

The traditional honeymoon wasn't going to happen so they improvised by celebrating their union in a cabin tucked away in the woods near Kitimat, Reis (now Kidd), said.

They are madly in love and couldn't be happier. They became an instant family as Mitch has a young son that Stacie said is already her sweet little buddy.

And, fortunately, there’s no hiking.

"And that's OK because Mitch goes running by himself and then he comes home and snuggles me on the couch," Stacie said. "And that works out really well."