'Wow, she's back': Even after losing part of a finger, LBI lifeguard is still saving lives

In July 2021, while working as an ocean lifeguard in Harvey Cedars along Long Beach Island, Megan Misurelli was rescuing a group of swimmers from a dangerous hurricane swell. A confluence of circumstances involving her paddleboard straps and a forceful wave led to a traumatic accident — the top of the middle finger on her right hand was severed.

Misurelli completed the rescue. Then she underwent a series of reconstructive surgeries and a long rehabilitation process.

"They took tissue from the palm of my hand and sewed it into what was left of my middle finger, and that allowed for the nerves to regenerate," she explained.

But that was just part of her recovery journey. The Stafford resident, a righthander, had to master pain, fear and doubt as she relearned how to function. Actions most of us take for granted — typing, getting dressed, shaking hands — became fraught propositions as ultra-sensitive nerve endings caused agony. All this as she entered her junior year at Albright College in Pennsylvania.

How did Misurelli respond? She plowed ahead, typing papers with one hand, serving as a chemistry lab assistant, continuing as a member of Albright’s swimming team and even joining the college’s tennis team. And yes, she returned to lifeguarding, rescuing three more people in the summer of 2022.

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“The trauma was something that made me intensely aware of the present moment,” Misurelli said. “When I made the decision to go back to college, anything that came up, I was like, ‘I’m going to try it.’”

Misurelli graduated May 13 with degrees in biochemistry and biotechnology — and addressed her classmates as the student-speaker at commencement.

“If I wanted to leave them with one thing, it would be that you are the pilot of your own journey,” she said. “No matter what happens that’s outside of your control, you have the opportunity at every point to make a choice — and to create something great for yourself.”

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Like being electrocuted

Misurelli was an All-Shore swimmer at Donovan Catholic High School who continued to excel on the Division III level at Albright. As a sophomore she won the women’s 200-meter freestyle at the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships.

After the accident, “I had to swim with a fist because my nerves were so sensitive,” she said. “I felt like I was being electrocuted every time I put my hand in the water.”

The hardest thing was diving in. She couldn’t do it at first, instead starting races by pushing off the wall (a clear disadvantage). At one point, in conversation with Misurelli, an acquaintance said something along the lines of, “you were a good swimmer.”

Were. Past tense. If a high achiever needed any more motivation, there it was. In February 2022, at the MAC Championships, she started diving in again.

“That was a pivotal moment,” said her mom, Donna Misurelli. “It brought my husband and I to tears. We were like, ‘Wow, she’s back.’”

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Back to lifeguarding, too.

“Going back to swimming and lifeguarding was huge for me,” Megan said. “Before my accident, the water was my safe haven. After my accident, it was the number one thing that made my heart beat out of my chest.”

But, as she put it, “I knew it was something I loved, and I wasn’t willing to give that up.”

Not only did Misurelli resume her old activities, she added tennis, playing both singles and doubles for Albright’s women’s team over her final two years. Gripping a racket with a reconstructed finger was a way of challenging herself.

“In the beginning it was hard,” she said. “There were times when the ball would hit the racket so hard and it would be painful for me. But I was able to work through that. Everything was all about working through it as best as I could.”

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'It all kind of came together'

In the classroom, Misurelli’s chemistry major required dexterous use of her hands in lab settings. She approached that with characteristic zeal, going above and beyond by working as a lab assistant with setup and cleanup duties.

“There were times when she might have dropped something, but she kept going,” said Pamela Artz, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Albright who ran the labs. “She totally personified grit, the tenacity to keep going.”

Misurelli completed and presented two major research projects, graduated with honors, got into medical school (where she’s headed in the fall) and received Albright’s prestigious Muhlenberg Goodwill Prize, which is “presented to a senior who has demonstrated, through responsible action in college activities, a concern that extends to the larger community, and who has shown promise for further accomplishments that will better society.”

Sounds about right.

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When it came time to select a student speaker for graduation, Artz recommended Misurelli. It was a no-brainer. Her four-minute speech received a thunderous ovation.

“We didn’t breathe,” Donna Misurelli said of the moment. “I had no words because there were so many things that she had to relearn after she hurt her hand. After everything she went through, it all kind of came together.”

There is an English proverb that dates back to the 16th century: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” The world was messier then, but the maxim’s wisdom endures.

Megan Misurelli, who turned a traumatic ocean rescue into a triumph, is living it.

“If I had to go back (in time) and answer the question, ‘Do you want to save these people?’” she said. “There’s no question in my mind that I would.”

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: LBI lifeguard lost part of finger, but still saves lives