A bachelorette party is typically a joyous prelude to marriage, filled with laughter and celebration. But for Rachelle Chapman, a playful push into a pool just weeks before her wedding turned into a life-altering tragedy that left her paralyzed and eventually fractured a significant friendship. Now, 15 years later, she reflects on the unexpected path her life took, the resilience she found, and the complex reasons she’s no longer friends with the bridesmaid involved.
In May 2010, at just 24 years old, Rachelle was enjoying her bachelorette party in Virginia Beach. A friend’s seemingly harmless push into a shallow pool resulted in her hitting her head, breaking her neck, and suffering an immediate spinal cord injury. Instantly losing sensation from the chest down, Rachelle became a quadriplegic.
The accident dramatically changed everything. Instead of final wedding preparations, she faced 10 days in the ICU and two-and-a-half months of intensive rehabilitation. Medical bills piled up, forcing her and her fiancé, Chris, to postpone their wedding for a year. Amidst the challenging recovery and intense media attention, a company generously stepped in to cover their wedding and honeymoon, allowing them to finally marry in 2011.
Adapting and Finding Strength Through Marriage
Supported by her unwavering bond with Chris, Rachelle began the difficult process of adapting to life with quadriplegia. While she experienced a “down period” after the initial wedding excitement subsided and the permanence of her injury set in, their partnership remained strong. They explored new activities together, from adaptive biking to tennis. For a decade, wheelchair rugby became her primary sport, a passion Chris often shared by serving as a referee at tournaments. Rachelle emphasizes that theirs is a partnership built on mutual support, not one where Chris is a “saint” for staying with her.
Motherhood and Defying Expectations
Five years after her injury, in 2015, Rachelle and Chris welcomed their daughter, Kaylee, into their lives via surrogacy. Although Rachelle was physically capable of carrying a child, medication for her low blood pressure made it medically inadvisable. A generous college friend volunteered to be their surrogate without compensation.
Becoming a mother with quadriplegia came with its own set of challenges and public misconceptions. Rachelle often encounters ignorant comments online questioning her ability to parent. However, she powerfully demonstrates that individuals with disabilities are capable parents. She shares how she manages tasks like putting her daughter to sleep and navigating in her wheelchair, highlighting the crucial support from her own mother who lives with them and assists with tasks difficult due to limited finger function. She notes that her daughter is growing up compassionate and naturally helpful.
The Painful Evolution of Friendships
One of the most difficult aspects of the journey was the impact on friendships, particularly with the friend involved in the accident. Initially, Rachelle was fiercely protective, even declining opportunities like an appearance on Oprah that would require her friend’s participation. However, over time, relationships shifted.
Rachelle recounts a painful deterioration in several close friendships after her initial recovery phase, including both the friend who pushed her and another best friend around the time her daughter was born. She describes feeling excluded by friends and hearing that they were talking about her behind her back. Hurtful comments included one friend allegedly blaming their financial struggles on Chris’s career choice and another cruelly stating the accident was Rachelle’s fault.
This loss of close, long-standing relationships was deeply painful. However, Rachelle has since found a supportive new community, notably among the women on her wheelchair rugby team, who understand the unique challenges she faces.
Facing New Challenges and Looking Forward
Recently, Rachelle has navigated mysterious new health issues. After 15 years of relatively stable health, complications arose when she stopped birth control and began hormone treatment in hopes of carrying a second child herself using frozen embryos. Symptoms included intense body tightening, soaring blood pressure, and unexpected pain. Though hospital visits haven’t provided a diagnosis, she suspects a link to the hormones and has stopped treatment, ending her plan to carry a second child. She is now focused on finding an affordable surrogate to expand their family.
A Cautionary Tale and a Message of Resilience
Rachelle’s story, which she has shared widely through platforms like TLC and viral TikTok videos, serves as a powerful cautionary tale about the hidden dangers of seemingly harmless actions around pools. Her experience, alongside other tragic incidents like individuals paralyzed from diving into shallow water, underscores the critical need for caution and respect for water environments. Even a moment of playful “horseplay” can have devastating, life-altering consequences.
Despite the immense challenges and losses, Rachelle Chapman embodies remarkable resilience. She doesn’t shy away from the reality that she will “never like being paralyzed” but chooses to focus on the positive aspects: her loving marriage, her cherished daughter, and the fulfilling life she has built. Her journey is a testament to overcoming adversity, the enduring strength of family, and finding gratitude and joy even after experiencing a life-changing event.
