Health

Paralyzed Bride Makes Progress on Quest to Walk Again

RALEIGH, N.C. (The Blaze/AP) — The harrowing story of a North Carolina woman that The Blaze has reported since she became paralyzed in a poolside accident a month before her wedding in 2010 and got married this past summer continues. Rachelle Friedman Chapman still hasn’t given up hope to learn to move on her own again.

Chapman is stronger after training for almost three weeks in October at Project Walk, a spinal cord injury recovery center in Carlsbad, Calif. And the 26-year-old from Knightdale, near Raleigh, hopes to return for more training that could help her walk for the first time since the accident just weeks before her original wedding date.

Here is the ABC News report from 2010 after the accident:

Woman Paralyzed Before Wedding Making Progress Toward Walking Again With Project Walkvideo platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

“You see people standing up out of their wheelchair, people who are relearning how to walk,” Chapman said in a recent phone interview.

It was on May 23, 2010, that Chapman was pushed into a pool by a friend at her bachelorette party in Virginia Beach, Va. She fell into the shallow end and awkwardly hit the cement bottom. The injury to her vertebra left her with no feeling from the chest down and feeling on the inside of her arms but not the outside. Her wedding had been scheduled for a few weeks after the party, but she and her fiance postponed it by more than a year.

Woman Paralyzed Before Wedding Making Progress Toward Walking Again With Project Walk

Rachelle Friedman Chapman got married this year and is making strides in regaining her ability to move after an accident left her paralyzed.

She has never revealed the name of the friend, who was a bridesmaid when the wedding was finally held in July 2011. The cruel timing of her injury and her enduring positivity landed her story in newspapers, websites and television reports around the world.

Chapman got one round of rehabilitation therapy after her accident and tried to exercise on her own. Now she works out on a table that her husband, Chris, and his father built for her and does weight-bearing exercises on a home gym.

Her balance is better because her core is stronger, as are her arms.

Woman Paralyzed Before Wedding Making Progress Toward Walking Again With Project Walk

Rachelle Friedman Chapman training at Project Walk. (Photo: AP)

When Chapman arrived at Project Walk, she was weak, says Kimberly Davis, an instructor there. Her blood pressure was low because her muscles had atrophied and she didn’t have the muscle contractions necessary to move the blood, Davis says.

“Mornings would be difficult for her,” Davis says. “We wouldn’t even be able to get her into a seated position without her passing out.”

She also was suffering from bone loss because she’s not standing or bearing weight. By the end of her treatment, Chapman was able to move for 30 minutes on a machine similar to an elliptical trainer that takes clients through the walking process while supporting their legs and body with a harness.

She also was able to get upright in a frame that uses hydraulics to move clients to a standing position.

“I was pretty impressed with her progress,” Davis says. “She didn’t leave here walking, but she increased her strength tremendously.”

While she describes Chapman’s condition as severe, Davis says it’s still possible she will walk again. “With this injury, it’s unpredictable,” she says.

Chapman, whose California rehab was funded by an organization called Walking With Anthony, hopes to return in 2012. “I want to go back more than anything,” she says.

Davis wants her to return as well. “If I could have her back in here tomorrow, I would,” she says. “She needs to be back in here as soon as possible. There’s really no duplication of the program.”

Meanwhile, Chapman is taking care of other business. As promised, the Beatles fan got a tattoo of the peace sign drawn on the back of her neck, at the center, marking her injury. Underneath is inked, “Let It Be.”

It was, she said, the most painful thing she’s ever experienced — the fall in the pool didn’t hurt.

She also learning to drive again and thinking of trying to find a job or getting a master’s degree in a subject such as school counseling. And she’s started writing a book.

She and her husband are considering having a child, but she has to get off the blood pressure and pain medications to do that.

“It’s not going to be a fun pregnancy,” she said. “I’ll probably be dizzy and in pain all the time. It will be nine months of sacrifice. … But we would love to have our own child.”

Comments (24)

  • babylonvi
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 1:36am

    It is both sad and tragic (IMHO) that operations like this exist from CA to FL and give false hopes while costing significant sums to disabled people. My observations(again IMHO) from seeing this first hand, are that most of this is pure research(but most;y fund and grant raising) with little to no lasting benefit directly to the patient participants.

    Report Post » babylonvi  
  • bets
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 11:15pm

    Will all this stuff she is doing work? I hope so. May God Bless Her.

    Report Post »  
  • manoamano
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 8:27pm

    Terri Schiavo. Remember her? Democrats and the drive-by media killed her by starvation and dehydration over a two week period in May 2005. The storyline they pushed to justify killing her was that she was in a vegetative state. Amazing how in the several reported cases since then of comatose people “coming back to life,” as it were, Terri Schiavo is never mentioned in-context.

    Report Post »  
    • teamarcheson
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 7:32am

      Instead of lethal injection of killers, they should be executed by withholding water and food. This is a humane and euphoric method of death. This is why so many people in the Death Camps looked content and happy. Why are those to be executed given a last meal when they never gave a last meal to their victims.

      Report Post »  
  • The Crismil
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 7:14pm

    My family’s prayers are with you Rachel and Chris.

    God has a plan. Keep seeking it and Him in Joy.

    My God richly bless you both in your “walk” (No pun…just hope)

    Report Post » The Crismil  
  • mrsalvage2
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 6:22pm

    N.S. = non story

    Report Post » mrsalvage2  
  • Bronco II
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 5:39pm

    Many thoughts and prayers to her.GOD BLESS AND HEAL YOU.She has a strong spirit just what GOD loves he will give her the bricks ( the tools ) she is doing the work he will help her with her faith and her family and friends praying and supporting her with encouragement.Thanks for a wonderful story keep us updated when possible.

    Report Post » Bronco II  
  • COFemale
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 5:07pm

    Keep on trucking missy. God Speed.

    Report Post » COFemale  
  • woemcat
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 4:43pm

    you go, girl!

    Report Post » woemcat  
    • grandmaof5
      Posted on January 2, 2012 at 5:12pm

      I love her determination! She didn’t blame her friend for the accident, sue her or the hotel, she just got down to the business of putting her life back in order. God bless her, and her wonderful husband, may all their dreams come true.

      Report Post »  
  • kickagrandma
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 4:34pm

    GOD works in such mysterious ways. You and your husband are in our prayers.

    Report Post »  
  • abbygirl1994
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 4:24pm

    May God Bless you both,, you are very inspiring!

    Report Post » abbygirl1994  
    • scheduler
      Posted on January 2, 2012 at 4:30pm

      Inspiring story

      http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos

      Report Post »  
    • Ookspay
      Posted on January 2, 2012 at 4:52pm

      Inspiring indeed! May they be blessed with many beautiful children,endowed with the same determination and strength of character. She gives me hope for the future!

      Report Post » Ookspay  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 4:16pm

    God bless them both for the future.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • meskew
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 4:15pm

    What a tragedy but I do not think she would want any one to feel sorry for her. She is on her way to recovery and is a true testament for positive thinking. As for DARMOK AND JALAD AT TANAGRA there are times for jokes but this is not one of them.

    Report Post »  
  • gmoneytx
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 4:12pm

    What can one say about that, the human drive survives…better count the blessing you have, it can always be more challenging.

    Report Post » gmoneytx  
  • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
    Posted on January 2, 2012 at 4:06pm

    Her husband just wants her to get better so she will be able to go make him a samwich, and get me a beer while your up.

    Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
    • texasfireguy
      Posted on January 2, 2012 at 4:17pm

      Rude, not polite, but I did chuckle.

      Report Post » texasfireguy  
    • mccracken
      Posted on January 2, 2012 at 6:22pm

      Beavis and ********

      Report Post »  
    • DesdemonasCrew
      Posted on January 2, 2012 at 7:24pm

      I fear there is no hope for you Darmok.
      However, I have hope for this brave soul that you so blithely disrespect.
      God Bless her.

      Report Post » DesdemonasCrew  

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