Modenna Hanus with her daughter, Haley Hanus.

Modenna Hanus of Webster City says her life has come full circle.

From a young age, she was captivated by the medical dramas of “ER,” igniting a passion for healthcare that would shape her future. However, life’s challenges delayed that dream. At 40, she enrolled in Iowa Central Community College’s nursing program.

“So, I was 40 and fabulous. And I said, do you know what — everything works out the way it’s supposed to. I told my kids, ‘I’m going to prove to you that you can do anything you set your mind to.'”

Her determination not only fulfilled her aspirations but also inspired her daughter, Haley, to pursue a career in nursing.

Mo worked in long-term care for many years, and then began working at MercyOne in Mason City in April 2024. She worked there until July 27, when she received the call that every parent dreads. She had just come off a three-day shift in Mason City, climbed into bed and didn’t hear her phone.

Instead, Mo jerked awake when the bedroom door flew open and Haley’s father stepped into the room.

“He said, ‘My God, Modenna, Haley got hit by a train.’ And I said no, no this is a nightmare. And I just fell to my knees.”

It was serious

Haley Marie Hanus, 26, and another individual were seriously hurt on July 27, 2024, in a collision with a train on the northern edge of Woolstock.

Local responders were dispatched to the scene of the accident, including the Van Diest Medical Center ambulance crews — Anthony Harbaugh and Ashley Hayden, Andi Dyer and Dixie Gable.

Initially, the VDMC ambulance was called to the wrong address.

“It ended up being in Wright County, not in Hamilton County,” said Dyer. “But sometimes you get a suspicion that it could be kind of serious. Chuck (Stansfield) on the fire crew said he was going to go check it out, and I said I would wait around in case he said it was serious — come on out.

“And that’s kind of what happened. It was serious,” she said.

They transported Haley and the other person to the VDMC emergency room. Trauma teams were ready and waiting for the ambulances to arrive.

“Honestly, the reason I’ve worked at the hospital for 23 years is because we work together well as a team. I mean, we divided and conquered at that point because we had two very seriously injured people,” Dyer said.

“I was in one of the trauma rooms and I had a room full of med/surg nurses who came over to help,” ER nurse Hannah Larson said. “I looked up and Dr. Nikki Ehn was there, Christina (Peterson, emergency department director) was there. And there were others. It seemed like everyone heard the call and came in.”

Both patients were to be taken by air ambulance to MercyOne in Des Moines because they required a higher level of care.

Meanwhile, Mo raced to Des Moines.

She knew she had to get to Haley. Her husband offered to drive, but Mo took the wheel, knowing that if she didn’t she wouldn’t be able to hold her emotions together.

Haley was already in surgery when they arrived. Mo wondered what injuries her daughter had sustained.

“Well, when it’s a car versus a train — you know it can’t be good,” she said.

She paced the waiting room, praying that Haley hadn’t sustained a traumatic brain injury, a spinal cord injury or facial damage. The family watched as patient after patient was wheeled from surgery.

Finally, they saw Haley.

She was intubated.

The nurses told the family there was no traumatic brain injury and no spinal damage.

The medical team whisked Haley away to intensive care to get her settled.

It was in the ICU that one of the nurses asked Mo if she would like to know the extent of her daughter’s injuries.

“There was a tear to her aorta. Four arteries were torn in her abdomen and her colon was severed from her intestine. She ended up losing 12 inches of intestine. They ended up putting stents in her legs because she had lost blood flow; her femurs were crushed; her kneecaps were crushed, and the accident broke both of her feet.”

But she was alive.

Haley told her mother she understood how close she had come to death.

“But she said she wanted me to know that she wanted to live because she knew what it would do to me if she didn’t,” Mo said.

After she was discharged from the hospital, Haley stayed with Mo to recuperate. Going to a nursing home wasn’t the right option for her. She stayed with her mother until the end of December when she moved back to her own home — just in time for her birthday on December 31.

“She got to wake up in her own home on the morning of her birthday,” Mo said. “She told me it was the best possible birthday present.”

Full circle

It was Haley who first told Mo about the job opening in the VDMC emergency room.

“I never thought I would want to work in the ER,” Mo said. “I didn’t think I could handle it.”

Then she thought about Haley.

“I was her nurse, her CNA. I was dressing the wounds on my own child.”

She also gave high praise to the dedicated trauma team at VDMC that had worked so diligently to save her daughter’s life.

“I wanted to be able to affect people the way that I was affected by the ER staff at Van Diest Medical Center. I want to be able to touch people’s lives the way that my family was touched by them,” she said.

Mo applied for the position and during the interview, Christina Peterson, director of emergency services, asked her what qualities she would bring to the position.

“I told her having a personal experience with trauma was huge. Almost losing my child made me look at things in a whole different light. If I can get the chance to show people the kind of compassion that was shown to me and my family, then my life would be fulfilled.”

And so she began working in the ER. Her compassion is evident.

Mo’s patients find her understanding, and they appreciate when she spends just a little extra time with them when they are frightened or in pain.

As a result of that compassion, she was nominated for a 2025 DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Mo was one of 10 VDMC nurses honored last week at a ceremony.

Sitting proudly in the audience was Haley, celebrating her mom and the other nurses.

Now, just 10 months after her accident, Haley says she is doing well. She still has a few mobility issues, but she’s walking and getting back to living her life. There may be a few more surgeries in her future, but she remains very hopeful. Resilient in her attitude, Haley said the accident has made her stronger and prepared her for the future.

“I want to return to work, to be a nurse. I may even end up in the ER. That was my original plan,” she said.

Mo beams with pride when she hears that.

“Coming to work in the emergency department was the best decision I ever made,” Mo said. “The people have been so wonderful and accepting. I wish I would have started here a long time ago. But I know everything works out at the right time.”

Andi Dyer and Hannah Larson.