A Near-Death Boating Accident Changed Her Life, But Not Her 

Nichole Hall, 30, who recovered from a near-fatal boating accident in which she lost her left leg and part of her hip, plans to mentor other trauma victims like herself. 

Nichole Hall’s boundless spirit exemplifies the human spirit to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. After surviving a catastrophic boating accident that cost her left leg and part of her pelvis, Nichole transformed her journey from patient to mentor, offering hope and inspiration to others like her.

But that’s how she rolls, as the saying goes. You’ll find her life often revolves around helping others. For example, in her professional life, she’s a sales and marketing director for a senior living community that helps residents achieve a joyful and fulfilling living experience.

The accident: A day that changed everything, but not Nichole’s heart

In her spare time, Nichole’s a water bug on Pine Island, where she kayaks, boats, and fishes. On the day she was injured last April, she was on the water at a benefit concert during the annual Matlacha Barge Party. 

“I was kayaking and collecting money at the benefit…for some friends that were in a pretty bad accident here in Matlacha,” she recalls. The weekend before, an 80-year-old woman was killed, and four people were injured in a crash outside a Matlacha restaurant. 

As Nichole and three friends were heading home in a flats boat traveling at about 15 mph in the shallow waters of North Matlacha Pass, something struck their vessel. The impact sent Nichole and two others overboard, with only the driver remaining on the boat. 

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission's investigation, what exactly hit the boat remains unknown.

Her companions were uninjured, but the boat’s propeller struck Nichole. They managed to get her back into the boat and rushed to Jug Creek Marina and Fish House in Bokeelia. 

The Matlacha-Pine Island Fire Control District and Lee County EMS responded to the scene. Nichole was airlifted to Lee Health Trauma Care, the only trauma center between Sarasota and Miami, at Gulf Coast Medical Center. 

Nichole flat-lined twice before reaching the center. Flatline, also known as asystole, is a cardiac arrest that occurs when the heart stops beating due to a lack of electrical activity.

But, as in Nichole’s case, the work of helping others often strengthens the heart. 

"People who have the injuries that Nichole had don't make it to the hospital," says Dr. Joseph Lewis, a board-certified trauma surgeon with Lee Health Trauma Care, who was on call that day. "The incidence is so low that we know these patients generally die in the field before they reach the hospital."

In those critical moments after the accident, Nichole displayed extraordinary composure.

"I remember being very calm, actually,” she recalls. “I think everybody else on the boat was panicked. I knew that my injuries were probably pretty severe. However, I knew that everybody else was pretty worried, so I just tried to stay calm for everybody else."

Medical marvel: Surviving against all odds

Dr. Lewis initially focused on controlling Nichole's severe bleeding. The following day, she underwent a partial hemipelvectomy—a rare and radical procedure involving the amputation of her left leg and part of her pelvis.

In fact, according to Dr. Lewis, Nichole is the only documented case of someone surviving a hemipelvectomy from a boating accident. The procedure is typically performed on patients with aggressive cancer tumors, and even then, survival rates are low.

When Nichole first arrived at the emergency room, Dr. Lewis described it as "one of those moments where it was like, 'Oh my God. She's alive.'" The blood bank team worked through the night to ensure there was enough blood for her resuscitation and subsequent treatment.

Nichole's condition was critical in those first 24 hours of her admittance to the trauma unit. 

"At that point, (Dr. Joseph and his team) wanted to give my family the opportunity to say goodbye because no one thought that I was going to survive what I went through."

A spirit unbroken: Nichole's remarkable response

When Nichole regained consciousness in the hospital, intubated and unable to speak, her response to the prognosis that her left leg would require amputation demonstrated her extraordinary spirit. 

"I woke up in the hospital with tubes coming out all over my body. I couldn't talk or eat, so I was writing on a whiteboard,” she recalls. “When I found out I'd be losing my leg, I saw how distraught my family was sharing with me that news."

When her father told her about the impending amputation, she responded with the "rock and roll" hand gesture—a simple but powerful indication of her determination to face whatever lay ahead.

"Again, with me just trying to be strong, my reaction was ‘rock on’ because I couldn't talk to anybody. And that was just my way of saying, you know, it's okay. I'm going to get through this, and I'm going to be strong for everyone around me."

Nichole's positive attitude has been crucial to her recovery. 

"I had two choices. I could live life and sulk and be sad about it, or I could look at it as an opportunity to overcome a challenge,” she says. “I chose to look at it as an opportunity to overcome a challenge because, in the end, I think my life is going to be better because of that."

Nichole Hall spent two months at GCMC recovering and rehabilitating from a near-fatal boating accident. She says her care team made some overnights feel “like a slumber party.”

Recovery: Finding joy in the journey

Understandably, some people might view Nichole’s hospital stay as a horrible experience. But not Nichole.

"Looking back at my hospital experience, I think most people would be like, 'you were in the hospital for two months, that must have been terrible.' But for me, it was a really great experience."

For that, she credits her medical team's exceptional care and companionship. 

“(Upon reflection), I don't think of the pain I went through. I don't think of the terrible things I was experiencing with my body and all those surgeries. Instead, I look back and think of all the nurses and the certified nurses’ aides who surrounded me. After my family left at the end of visiting hours, it became like a slumber party. They would come in and bring me things like shampoo and cosmetics, and I really made a lot of really great friends in the hospital."

The support extended beyond hospital staff, too, as Nichole’s friends and supporters "basically camped out" in the parking lot of the hospital when they couldn't visit the ICU. 

She says other amputees offered their support, including someone in Europe whose letter of encouragement proves that the power of connection exceeds geography

On her discharge day from the GCMC, Nichole’s nurses gave her a cake topped with a modified Barbie doll—with its left leg removed—a gesture that exemplified how humor became an important part of her healing journey.

Life beyond loss: Finding new purpose

Since returning home to Pine Island, Nichole has embraced life with remarkable enthusiasm. She has met a new nephew, walked down the aisle as the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding, and even won a Halloween costume contest dressed as The Terminator.

She has also adapted to life with her prosthetic leg, which she named "Peggy" as a humorous tribute to the traditional peg leg. 

"We try to find the humor in everything," she explains. "I'm still very much learning how to walk again. But I'm also very determined."

Nichole's amputation is particularly challenging—she lost three joints instead of two, making her situation more complex than most amputees face. 

Yet, she approaches this challenge with the same positive outlook: "One of my nurses actually told me to focus on what you do have, not what you don't. And that made a big impact on me because I started focusing on, you know, I can stand with my right leg. I have the motion in my arms, and I can use the rest of my body to still do the things that are fulfilling in life."

Paying it forward: Becoming a mentor

Perhaps the most inspiring aspect of Nichole's journey is her determination to help others. In January, she planned to join Lee Health's volunteer mentor program for trauma survivors like herself.

"When I was in the hospital, one of the biggest things I wanted to do was make sure I gave back,” she says. “I had so much support from my friends and family in Pine Island and Cape Coral, but I also realized that not everybody has that support.”

“I wanted to be a volunteer for health. And whether it's other amputees or just people that are going through something difficult and need strength and courage to continue, it's really important to me to give back after just everything that I've been given."

Lessons in living: Nichole's wisdom

Through her extraordinary journey, Nichole has gained wisdom that resonates far beyond the community of trauma survivors:

"I know I have a naturally positive attitude that maybe not everybody has. But for me, it was like I had two choices. I could live life and sulk and be sad about it.  Or I could look at it as an opportunity to overcome a challenge."

She acknowledges the difficult days but maintains perspective, saying that she tries to reduce the “bad days” she has to just “bad moments.”

“I have bad moments, but I try to see the good parts of my day, and that's what I focus on. So, my role is I don't have bad days. Instead, I have bad moments and try to find something good every day."

And perhaps most importantly, she wants others to see beyond her disability. 

"I know people's first perception of me is my leg, Peggy, but I think after they talk to me for a couple of minutes, their perception of me changes back to who I was before I became a person with an amputation.

In facing life's most extreme challenges, she reminds us of a fundamental truth: "I definitely don't take any day for granted anymore."

That’s just how Nichole Hall rolls.