MONTICELLO, Ill. (WAND) — Monticello-native Nichole Doane decided to view the total solar eclipse of 2017 in a unique way.

Doane, a trauma nurse, and her friends decided to go canyoneering to watch the eclipse rather than sitting in traffic with everyone else trying to find a special spot.

But what started out as a fun adventure would quickly turn into a nightmare. While repelling down a waterfall Nichole lost control — falling 60 feet. 

"I was probably going too fast, and I lost control of what is considered your only safety mechanism in canyoneering, which is your break hand," Doane explained. "When I lost control of my break hand that is when everything started going awry."

Doane quickly realized that falling the whole 100 feet down would not be a survivable situation. She understood the need to break out of her trance of terror and became more aware of her surroundings. 

"I saw a ledge over to the side that I hadn't seen before. I knew that if I hit that ledge, I would have a better chance of surviving than if I were to fall the whole 100 feet, the ledge was still going to be about 60 feet, but I decided that was my Hail Mary," said Doane.

During the fall, Doane was thinking of her loved ones and how she wanted to be there for her daughter in all of those special moments. 

"There was something from the past connecting me with this moment where I am falling and then also me reaching into the future to try and tell my daughter on her wedding day that I love her — it was like all of this was happening in the same moment." 

After the 60-foot drop, Doane had a broken pelvis, back, and a spinal injury. Four long hours later a helicopter flew overhead, and search and rescue volunteers repelled down to Doane, starting an IV and giving pain medications. 

"It was a really highly skilled rescue mission, it was on the far side of the water, halfway down a 265 ft waterfall," said Doane.

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She was then taken to the trauma center that she worked in, to be cared for by her friends and co-workers. Now, seven years later, Doane is working to give back to the organization that saved her life by sharing her story in a documentary. 

"You just find a way to give back, I had no money, I barely had a body left. I felt like I had nothing, but this was my one shot to maybe give back to them in a way that I could never do on my own." 

Her story titled "Where the Rope Ends," will premiere in her hometown of Monticello. Proceeds from the event will go towards raising funds for local search and rescue organizations. 

You can learn more about the documentary here.

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