From Patient to Pageant: Ms. Wheelchair Nebraska Finds Strength at CHI Health Immanuel Rehab
Carrie Clay’s story is one of resilience, recovery and remarkable relationships. After experiencing life-altering complications during childbirth in 2021, followed by a traumatic brain injury, Carrie arrived at CHI Health Immanuel’s Inpatient Rehabilitation unit in 2023.
“I was very debilitated after everything I’d been through,” Carrie shared. “But the staff here worked with me on my ambitious goals and pushed me. Rehab at Immanuel helped me realize just how capable I really am.”
One of the first people she connected with was physical therapist Nina Smith-Nelson.
“We really bonded over the fact that we’re both moms of girls,” Nina recalled. “She had a one-year-old at the time, and I had an 11-year-old.”
That shared connection fueled a powerful partnership in Carrie’s rehab journey. By the time she was discharged, she could safely move around her room, transfer in and out of bed, and most importantly to her, get down on the floor to play with her daughter and get back into her chair on her own.
“She was so motivated, always saying she was going to be the best she could be for herself and her family,” Nina said. “I wasn’t working the day she was discharged, but I had to come in just to see her off.”
For Carrie, the care she received went far beyond physical therapy.
“Rehab here allowed me to realize how I can be a beacon of hope for others,” she said. “I appreciate everyone here more than I can put into words. I became part of a family.”
Now thriving in McCook with her daughter, Carrie was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Nebraska 2025.
“I had caught wind of the pageant while I was an inpatient,” she said. “At the time it felt like too much, but when I turned 30, I decided to go for it. The pageant world has brought me out of my shell and given me a way to give back.”
Carrie’s platform focuses on women’s physical and mental health. She encourages others to pick a goal that challenges them, and to believe in the healing power of support and connection.
“At Immanuel, we meet people after trauma, and many think, ‘Well, this is it for me,’” Nina said. “But we show them it’s not. We give them stepping stones back to life.”
For Carrie, those stepping stones led to the spotlight, and she’s using it to shine hope on everyone she meets.
