This is where the staff of the Reeve Foundation is sharing up-to-the-minute information and putting some context around the news affecting the spinal cord injury and paralysis community. Not to mention insight into what's going on here at the Foundation.
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In sickness and in health
Posted by
JLoThursday, November 18, 2010
This story comes to us from ABC News. One month shy of one of the happiest moments of her life, bride-to-be Rachelle Friedman was paralyzed after a not so fun joke went wrong at her bachelorette party.
"It all happened very quickly," Friedman, 25, told ABCNews.com. Friedman had been out celebrating her pending nuptials with her bridesmaids when they decided to go for a swim at the end of the night.
"We got home, ran upstairs and changed into our bathing suits," said Friedman. "My best friend -- and she still is my best friend -- she playfully pushed me in like we've done a million times."
"It was playful, but it went wrong," she said. "It was a freak accident." She hit her head on the bottom of the pool.
"I instantly went stiff and couldn't move," said Friedman. "I weirdly did not panic, I kind of knew exactly what happened and I floated up to the surface and said, 'Help!' and then my friends called 9-1-1."
"I remember when they were pulling me out of the water I could see my legs below me but I couldn't feel the water on them," she said.
Read all of Rachelle's story and see the video.
Rachelle has an incredible outlook on her future despite the dramatic change of events. We here at the Foundation hear all too often about accidents that change people's lives in an instant. Next time you go swimming, please remember some simple safety that can never be taken too carefully.
Janelle
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