Rachel's Climb Back Up
Donation protected
On October 3, 2019 Rachel was rock climbing near the Obed National Wild & Scenic River. She was on vacation with her partner, Alyson. They had just been to one friend’s wedding in Louisville, and were road tripping, camping, hiking, and climbing during the week before going to another friends’ wedding in Nashville. It was a beautiful day for the outdoors, but while cleaning the route at the end of the day, a knot in her rope slipped and she fell from the top of the route, falling 45 feet down to the ground. Miraculously, she remained conscious the entire time while waiting for EMS to arrive and they transported her via helicopter to the trauma center at UT Knoxville. She had internal bleeding and numerous breaks and fractures throughout her body- spine, pelvis, sternum, 8 ribs, both ankles, right thumb. She spent 10 days in the ICU, with procedures to stop massive internal bleeding, received multiple blood transfusions, and underwent four surgeries within 12 days- spinal fusion T4-L4, pelvis stabilization, both ankles, right thumb, and a correction surgery on her pelvis. She was miraculously spared a head injury and remains fully conscious, aware, and an advocate for herself.
Rachel is a 35 year old Louisville native, University of Kentucky graduate, and has lived all over the US. She is a pediatric physical therapist and has touched the lives of many children and families during her 12 years of practice. She is an outdoors woman and has summited both Mt. Hood and Mt. Elbert. She hikes, runs, rock climbs, skis, is an avid yogi and meditator, and is active every single day. She is an environmentalist and a Climate Reality Leader, working to increase awareness and practices to help save our planet from climate change, and she began the Climate Reality chapter in St. Louis, which was home-base for her and Alyson. She has been beginning plans to return to school for further education in environmental justice. Rachel is a loving partner, daughter, sister, and a great dog mom to their dog, Marshall. She is an incredible friend to many, a leader, a scholar, and an advocate for those who need it. It is obvious how many lives she has touched by the outpouring of love we have received during this difficult and emotional time.
Her prognosis for rehabilitation is positive given the proper care, though it is still a scary time. She still does not have complete motor control in her feet, legs, bowel and bladder due to her incomplete spinal cord injury, though sensation is slowly coming back to her feet. She continues to amaze her doctors and nurses at how quickly she is healing. Being healthy and a young 35 is giving her the leg up she needs to help heal and recover.
As an independent contractor with Missouri First Steps (the federally funded birth to three early intervention program in Missouri), she had no benefits through work. She was self insured with a short-term, high deductible plan. It is not a typical insurance plan, and she will likely encounter hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills from the surgeries, hospital stays, helicopter/medical transportation and rehabilitation. She nor Alyson (also an independent contractor with the same agency) have any sick or FMLA leave, nor short or long term disability. They are still in Knoxville, TN at the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center while Rachel gets strong and independent enough to transfer back "home," which is currently up in the air as their home in St. Louis has 20+ stairs to enter. Neither of them are working right now as they figure out the next steps in their life and in Rachel's rehab.
These funds will be used for medical bills, rehabilitation, equipment such as wheelchairs, braces, orthotics or other equipment needed for rehab, housing, moving and relocation expenses for Rachel and Alyson, proper food and nutrition to aid in healing, and anything else to help them both get back on their feet after this tragedy.
We are so grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this time. This will be a long road ahead, but we remain positive that baby step by baby step and day by day, we will survive this challenge with the help and support of our family and friends.
You can follow Rachel's progress along this journey here:
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rachelzoeller/journal
Rachel is a 35 year old Louisville native, University of Kentucky graduate, and has lived all over the US. She is a pediatric physical therapist and has touched the lives of many children and families during her 12 years of practice. She is an outdoors woman and has summited both Mt. Hood and Mt. Elbert. She hikes, runs, rock climbs, skis, is an avid yogi and meditator, and is active every single day. She is an environmentalist and a Climate Reality Leader, working to increase awareness and practices to help save our planet from climate change, and she began the Climate Reality chapter in St. Louis, which was home-base for her and Alyson. She has been beginning plans to return to school for further education in environmental justice. Rachel is a loving partner, daughter, sister, and a great dog mom to their dog, Marshall. She is an incredible friend to many, a leader, a scholar, and an advocate for those who need it. It is obvious how many lives she has touched by the outpouring of love we have received during this difficult and emotional time.
Her prognosis for rehabilitation is positive given the proper care, though it is still a scary time. She still does not have complete motor control in her feet, legs, bowel and bladder due to her incomplete spinal cord injury, though sensation is slowly coming back to her feet. She continues to amaze her doctors and nurses at how quickly she is healing. Being healthy and a young 35 is giving her the leg up she needs to help heal and recover.
As an independent contractor with Missouri First Steps (the federally funded birth to three early intervention program in Missouri), she had no benefits through work. She was self insured with a short-term, high deductible plan. It is not a typical insurance plan, and she will likely encounter hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills from the surgeries, hospital stays, helicopter/medical transportation and rehabilitation. She nor Alyson (also an independent contractor with the same agency) have any sick or FMLA leave, nor short or long term disability. They are still in Knoxville, TN at the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center while Rachel gets strong and independent enough to transfer back "home," which is currently up in the air as their home in St. Louis has 20+ stairs to enter. Neither of them are working right now as they figure out the next steps in their life and in Rachel's rehab.
These funds will be used for medical bills, rehabilitation, equipment such as wheelchairs, braces, orthotics or other equipment needed for rehab, housing, moving and relocation expenses for Rachel and Alyson, proper food and nutrition to aid in healing, and anything else to help them both get back on their feet after this tragedy.
We are so grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this time. This will be a long road ahead, but we remain positive that baby step by baby step and day by day, we will survive this challenge with the help and support of our family and friends.
You can follow Rachel's progress along this journey here:
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rachelzoeller/journal
Organizer
Alyson Hendry
Organizer
Louisville, KY