Folly Beach surfer grateful for pediatric nurse's lifesaving heroics

Over a steaming cup of coffee, Alanna Shiflett recalls the memorable day. Sept. 16, 2019. What began as an ordinary day quickly took a turn toward disastrous for Anne Kanellos, a junior at the College of Charleston, and Shiflett, a neonatal nurse practitioner at MUSC.

“It was a Monday in September, and I just went for a walk to relax,” Shiflett began. 

Coincidentally, Shiflett decided to walk closer to the Folly Beach pier that day, despite her tendency to park further down the Folly beachfront. Shortly into her walk, Shiflett heard the distant cry for help. 

“It was about 1:30 in the afternoon, and I had walked a little bit when I heard someone yell for help in the water. I looked, and it was a younger girl standing up. I could see blood just gushing out of her thigh, and I could see something black in front of her, going back and forth,” Shiflett recalls, still seeing the scene play out in her mind’s eye. 

For every obvious reason, Shiflett thought it was a shark. Later, she would discover who the girl was and that what she originally thought was a shark was actually a surfboard. 

Kanellos and her friend Meredith Glass, a junior at the College of Charleston, had only been in the water for 45 minutes before the accident that changed her life forever. She recalled the day in great detail. 

“I was about to catch a wave, and I got on it. Then I nose-dived. It was so shallow that the tip [of the board] got stuck in the sand. But my body went forward, so the fin just cut into my thigh. I remember being underwater and feeling something hit my leg, but it didn't hurt that much. I remember thinking that I would have a bruise,” Kanellos explained. 

With a medical background that includes six years at MUSC Health and 21 years prior at a hospital in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, Shiflett responded with haste to the situation. Shiflett ran into the water with little regard to her own personal safety, a decision that in turn saved Kanellos’ life. 

“I threw my phone to an older couple that was behind me and went running into the water because my first thought was, ‘Well, I gotta get her out before the shark bites again,’” Shiflett recalls. 

A man that to this day remains unknown came from behind Kanellos and swiftly carried her onto the beach. Shiflett used a towel to apply pressure and used Kanellos’ surfboard leash as a tourniquet, tying it around her deeply cut wound. Unbeknownst to those present at the time was the fact that Kanellos had lost 2 inches of artery in her leg, causing her to lose blood rapidly. At this point, she had a deep laceration, and her bone was visible, not to mention the amount of blood loss was alarming. 

“I got dizzy instantly from blood loss,” Kanellos said. 

Travis Odell, an off-duty ocean rescue first responder, rushed over to help. By virtue of his knowledge of first aid equipment available on the beach, he was able to secure a medical safety bag. This allowed Shiflett and Odell to check her oxygen levels, which were reading at 80%; values under 90% are considered dangerously low. 

“I just remember laying there and telling them I couldn't breathe. At first I thought it was because I was scared, but then I realized that I really couldn't breathe,” said Kanellos.  

While those present called 911 and worked to stabilize Kanellos as much as possible, her friend Glass served as a calming presence for Kanellos in the midst of chaos. Meeting only a few weeks earlier through a college history class, the two quickly developed a friendship, which since has strengthened. The experience, however, was more than just two friends bonding. What continues to keep them close today is their shared love of surfing and their now deeper relationships with God. 

“At one point I said, ‘God, please don't let me die.’ That's when Meredith took my hand and started praying with me. It was the sweetest moment; I'll never forget. The way I was laying down, I was just staring at the sun, and I could only really see her face. She took my hand, and we were praying, and it just felt like she was an angel. We were praying that God would let me live. I remember I literally started feeling better, like I could breathe. It's the scariest feeling – feeling yourself start to die. Everything gets silent, and you can't really move your body at all. It's such a surreal feeling,” Kanellos said. 

With the help of those at the beach, and God’s intervention, she said, Kanellos was loaded onto an ambulance – alive. Shortly after, she arrived at MUSC Health where she was rushed into surgery. Here, surgeons performed an extensive procedure that would save her life and more. Kanellos hesitantly entered the four-hour surgery, unsure of whether she would wake up with her leg. The accident severed the nerves in her left leg, causing it to lose feeling from the thigh to the ankle. Her main concern was the uncertainty of whether she would ever surf again. 

Upon waking, Kanellos was relieved to find her leg intact.

“I woke up and took the covers off and saw my leg. The first thing I asked was when I could go surfing again. I just love it so much,” Kanellos said. 

While Kanellos began her recovery, Shiflett couldn't seem to shake what she had seen and just move on. She asked around the hospital in hopes of finding Kanellos. On the day that Kanellos was discharged, Shiflett had finally learned which unit she was in. But not fast enough. She missed the girl whose life she saved. Eventually, though, Kanellos posted on social media about the miraculous series of events that served to spare her life. It was here that she was first able to share her deep gratitude for the strangers who saved her life that day. The response from the community was powerful and encouraging, especially since she was still recovering. 

Shiflett was ecstatic to see the post. “About a week later, Anne posted on the Facebook ‘I love Folly’ page and explained how she would love to come in contact with everyone from that day that had saved her. So I privately messaged her. We met like a week and a half later. She's so precious. It was very emotional.” 

Since their initial meeting, the two have become close friends. While Sept. 16 might have just been a day for some, for them, it remains pivotal in the foundation of their relationship. 

“Every day in life it’s a reminder of how fragile life is. She was so young and healthy. It reminds me how important it is to be aware and respond and be ready to help,” shares Shiflett. 

Both on and off the clock, Shiflett strives to put this philosophy into action as she cares for the most fragile of tiny patients in the neonatal unit at MUSC Health as well as for her family. Known as “Mama Alanna” in her unit, and widely recognized for her supportive attitude, it was no surprise to her coworkers that Shiflett was so quick to help.  

“I hope that I can be friends with her forever. I don't know how I can ever repay her. If she hadn’t been there, I think I would have died. She literally saved my life. She and Meredith are my actual angels,” Kanellos said, emotionally.  

After spending a week at MUSC, four days in the intensive care unit, Kanellos continued her healing process at home. She convalesced, using a wheelchair for two weeks, then moved to crutches for another two and eventually, she walked on her own. Her mother helped her through the entire recovery process, moving in with her for the first few months. She also had an at-home nurse during the first two weeks, consistent physical therapy and a six-month visit to the doctor that will be repeated for the rest of her life. 

The 16th of each month is a reminder of the day that changed everything. Now, six months out from the incident, the impacts of chance continue to influence everyday life for Kanellos. 

“September 16th. I will never get that date out of my mind. Every month on the 16th, I think about it. When people say your life can change in a split second, it literally does,” she said.  

Today, the memories of the accident and the physical scars that remain serve as a constant reminder of the pain she endured. Kanellos has not let the past define her future as a surfer. Since the accident, she has already been surfing five times. Glass was by her side during her first time back in the water, and both prayed together before surfing, a ritual that Kanellos said she wants to continue.  

“It's definitely way harder mentally than physically. Every time I see my leg, I think about it. It's a lot. A lot of nightmares almost every night,” Kanellos said. 

She continues to wrap her mind around her new reality. “It's like literally learning how to surf all over again. I wasn't expecting that. I thought once it was healed, I could go back and my body would just know what to do, but it's weird because my mind knows what to do, but my brain won’t send messages to my body. My mind was trying to get my left leg up, but it just wouldn't move,” Kanellos said, describing her frustration. The physical trauma that her body endured affected her immensely, but the miracle aspect of the experience has altered her perceptions on life and religion even more profoundly. 

“I have never begged for something so badly. I felt like I would just do literally anything to stay alive; I just kept thinking, ‘It's too soon!’ I really think it was God giving me a second chance. It was that intense,” said Shiftlett.

Growing up attending a faith-based school, spirituality has always been somewhat present in her life. After this event, Kanellos said that she has developed a whole new desire for growing in her faith and knowing God. In addition, her outlook on life has changed. Today, she looks at life with a desire to enjoy each day with a new vigor, knowing full-heartedly that all can be lost in a moment's time. 

“Whenever I'm really stressed, or something, it seems almost ridiculous because you only live once, and I just find myself doing things that make me happy more often. What's the point of living if you're not going to enjoy it?”