For the past six years, Reghan Donahue and Hazel Alexander have been virtually inseparable.  

Their friendship started when the girls were about 10 years old, and their parents enrolled them in the same homeschool program. They were opposites in many ways — Alexander was bubbly and gregarious, whereas Donahue was more reserved — but they shared a love for swing dancing and country music and a deep faith in the Catholic church. 

When Donahue got a job at Norm’s Soda Fountain in downtown Kalispell, she convinced Alexander to apply as well. The duo was known for cracking jokes as they shoveled out bowls of ice cream and baskets of fries. 

So, when Donahue learned that Alexander had been involved in a car crash, she didn’t hesitate. She rushed to be by her friend’s side. 

Nearly two months later, Donahue remains in Alexander’s corner, along with hundreds of others in the Flathead Valley. In the aftermath of the crash, friends and strangers alike rallied to support the Alexander family, raising tens of thousands of dollars to support the teen’s recovery. 

Just before 9 p.m. on Jan. 9, a stolen car barreled through the intersection of U.S. 2 and Montana 206, striking Alexander’s vehicle as she was turning. The collision left the 16-year-old with multiple broken bones and internal injuries, including severe damage to her pelvis, jaw and left femur. She had a concussion, and doctors later discovered she had also suffered a stroke sometime following the crash. 

Around 2 a.m. on Jan. 10, Alexander was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The same morning, she underwent the first of several surgeries. In between operations, Alexander began occupational and speech therapy to regain the skills she had lost as a result of the stroke. 

Meanwhile, back in the Flathead Valley, Alexander’s family and friends struggled to make sense of the sudden tragedy. 

“Hazel’s going to pull through this because it’s Hazel,” Donahue recalled thinking to herself in the long, tense hours before Alexander was transported to Seattle. “There’s no one I know who is so strong-willed and lively.” 

At work the next morning, Donahue cried alongside her coworkers as they readied the shop for the morning crowd. Alexander had been scheduled to work that day. Donahue had texted Beth Pirrie, the store owner, from the hospital waiting room to let her know that Alexander wouldn’t be making her shift. 

“We were worried and hurting,” said Pirrie. “It’s just a very emotional time because we consider her family, really.” 

Pirrie taught Alexander flute for several years before hiring her to the old-school soda fountain about two years prior. She said Alexander always seemed to have a sparkle about her — something several coworkers echoed in their own words. One employee said Alexander radiated positivity. Another described her as a light that brightened everybody’s mood. 

Imagining Alexander in a hospital bed, her characteristic glimmer dimmed by pain, Pirrie felt helpless. 

“We have to do something to help and that will feel actionable for us,” she remembered thinking. 

Pirrie gathered the staff and pitched her idea for a fundraiser to benefit Alexander. All the proceeds from the event, along with the tips that staff members usually take home, would go toward the GiveSendGo fund that had been set up to cover Alexander’s medical costs. 

Manager Haylie Brubaker said she was immediately on board with the idea. On her last birthday, Alexander surprised her with a homemade birthday card. Not many 16-year-olds would do that for their boss, she said, but Alexander did. Giving up a few days' worth of tips seemed like a small sacrifice. 

“There’s really no other option. We had to do something for her because she’s Hazel. She’s amazing,” said Brubaker. “Was my paycheck short? Sure, but that’s just what you do. We’re family here." 

The store opened on Jan. 17 — a Saturday — with a full crew. Pirrie had scheduled additional shifts throughout the day and even brought on a few former employees to accommodate the extra foot traffic she hoped the fundraiser would bring in. By 10 a.m., there was a wait for a table. By noon, the 15-person crew was in a burger-flipping, ice cream-scooping frenzy. 

The waitlist sometimes extended to two hours as families packed into the store in the hopes of contributing to the campaign. Alexander’s family came, as did her teammates on the Columbia Falls High School cross country squad and friends she had met through church.  

One woman pulled Pirrie away from the rush to explain that she was one of the emergency service providers who airlifted Alexander to Seattle the morning after the crash. She pressed a care package into Pirrie’s hands and asked her to deliver it to the family.  

Many other patrons were total strangers. They knew nothing of Alexander’s dream to join the military or of her talent for long-distance running. They just wanted to help.   

“I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Pirrie. “It far exceeded what I thought it would do.” 

Norm’s News sold more than 1,300 ice cream cones during the event, along with hundreds of burgers and shakes, and 170 pounds of candy. The final donation totaled more than $20,000. 

In the following weeks, more organizations joined the fundraising efforts. The Columbia Falls Cross Country team raised about $30,000 through a 24-hour run-a-thon. A bake sale organized by two Columbia Falls High School students raised another $1,100. Several area businesses, including Uptown Hearth, Flathead Running Company and Patriotic American Brewery, also donated money to the cause. 

As of Feb. 20, the GiveSendGo campaign has raised $88,000 of its $100,000 goal. 

“I love it,” said Donahue. “I knew she was so loved, but I didn’t know how loved she was."    

She was back at Norm’s Soda Fountain, scooping ice cream into paper cups to prepare for an incoming elementary school class. Traffic had slowed to its usual pace in the weeks following the fundraiser, and the store was now populated by a few retirees downing the dregs of their morning coffee.  

On the counter, next to the usual tip jar, a plastic jug welcomed donations to Alexander’s GiveSendGo campaign. Behind the scenes, the employees had started their own fund to buy Alexander a handheld gaming console. They hoped the device would help Alexander practice her coordination and fine motor skills and serve as a source of entertainment as she entered the next stage of recovery. 

After three weeks in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center and another two weeks at the Seattle Children’s Hospital, Alexander had been cleared for discharge. She was due to arrive at Glacier International Airport later that day. 

Donahue beamed as she ferried trays of food through the store. Just a few more hours before she and Alexander were reunited. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 758-4433 or [email protected].