Reba McEntire Surprises Fan in the Hospital Recovering From Spinal Injury

Last month, Aspen Allen fell trying to get on a horse at her family’s ranch in Montana, and when she got to the hospital, she couldn’t move her legs. She had two rods and eight screws put in her back and spent three days in the ICU before being moved first to an ortho neuro floor and then to Craig Hospital in Denver, where she received a huge surprise. Allen told Taste of Country that her family friend Dawn Ann Ritter is friends with Reba McEntire and FaceTimed Allen at the hospital in late May with McEntire by her side to offer an inspirational message to the 21-year-old.

In a video Allen shared on Twitter of the call, she immediately teared up upon seeing McEntire on the phone screen. “How are you?” McEntire asked. “I’m so good now!” Allen exclaimed before McEntire told her she was “praying for you.” The singer explained that Ritter had told her about Allen’s accident and suggested the call. “Thank you for liking my music and the TV show,” McEntire said to Allen. “We’re gonna be praying for you… you can do it, I know you can do it, we’ll be praying for you and sending lots of love to you.” The 65-year-old also asked Allen to share a thank-you with all of the nurses and doctors at the hospital. “I love you,” she told her.

“I was so happy,” Allen told Taste of Country of the surprise. “She’s like, literally, ever since I can remember and even when I was little everyone was like, ‘How do you even know who Reba is?’ Her TV show and her music just — I love Reba, and it was just amazing. It came at the perfect time. It was very special.” Allen added that she “cried like a little girl” when she saw McEntire. “It was hard to be in the hospital and being told that one day you might not walk, and then getting a call from Reba just like brought up my morale completely.”

Since the surprise FaceTime, Allen has returned home from the hospital and can fully walk again. “Walked out of rehab today just like i told myself i would 20 days ago when my legs were numb and not moving,” she tweeted on June 4. “Thank you god.”