Bride-To-Be Moves On After Tragic Prank (Yahoo! News)

[Lee]

Bride-To-Be Moves On After Tragic Prank
By Mike Krumboltz-Mon Nov 22, 4:43 PM EST

A few weeks before her wedding day, Rachelle Friedman went out for her
bachelorette party with some close friends last May. After a night out on
the town, the group went to the home of Rachelle's best friend.

The friend playfully pushed Rachelle into the swimming pool-something they'd
done to each other many times before-but this time the bride-to-be landed
on her head, paralyzing her from the chest down.

In the ensuing six months, Rachelle has worked to adjust to her new realty-
despite the odds and the tragic turn her life has taken, she is doing
"awesome", Friedman says in a Monday interview with The Today Show. She
credits her family and her fiance, Chris Chapman-who says in the segment
that the wedding is still on:"I never once thought about leaving her or this
situation". As for the friend, whose name Rachelle wants to keep from the
press, Rachelle says "I'm absolutely best friends with the girl. Blaming her
would be ridiculous".

In a recent interview with ABC News, Friedman recalled more of the accident:
"I instantly went stiff and couldn't move", she said. "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 911".

ABC reports that the doctors at the hospital "quickly determined that
Friedman had suffered a C6 spinal cord injury, leaving her unable to walk
or even feel sensation beneath her collarbone" Friedman spent nearly three
months in the hospital before beginning rehab. It was then, according to
ABC, that she learned just how difficult things were going to be.

"It was definitely a reality check about the long road I was going to have",
Friedman said. She has no function in her hands and fingers "I didn't think
about that in ICU", she said. "You only think, I'm not going to walk"

In addition to the incredible physical challenges, there have been significant
financial strains as well. She is receiving help from Medicaid, but if she marries
Chapman, their combined income will make her ineligible for assistance.

Complicated insurance questions have also been an ongoing issue. A widely
read article from CNN explains more of the challenges that Friedman and
future husband Chris Chapman have faced in the weeks leading up to what
will be Friedman's first Thanksgiving in a wheelchair.

Despite all the challenges, Friedman is doing her best to stay active. She
joined a wheelchair Rugby league and holds no ill will toward her friend. Her
general philosophy on rehab also keeps her going:"Almost all of it is attitude".

[Marvo301]

Rachelle Friedman has an amazing attitude regarding her circumstances! She is also teaching all of us an amazing lesson about forgiveness and friendship!

[80sTrivia]

Such a sad story, but Rachelle certainly has the right attitude to adjust to life in a wheel chair. The fact that she doesn't harbor any malice against her friend shows what an incredible person she is...

[catlover79]

God bless this incredibly brave, forgiving lady!! I hope that the financial situation gets so that she can finally marry her fiance. God bless them!!