10 year crashiversary

And just like that a decade has gone by. If they keep speeding by like this I will be 80 in no time! Half my adult life I have been paralyzed and still every day when I wake up it seems surreal. Is this my life? 

This year has been nuts for everyone. For me it started out with a pressure sore on my tailbone in January forcing me to stay home and off my backside. I was able to start venturing out again right when the pandemic hit in March. Damn. More than anything I miss being able to go to pool, 92 degrees of wonderfulness. I had no idea how much going to the pool twice a week kept my pain level down and my spirits up. Just like everyone I am riding the “corona wave” and I look forward to some normalcy again.

My 2021 calendars are at the printers right now and I have updated my “window display” at Gallery Exposed with my photography. Currently i’m only in the gallery by appointment but thanks to my $100 print sales I have been able to continue paying rent. Check out the shop on my website or my Instagram for updates on the sales.

Every year on my crashiversary I remember my last day of independence. The simplicity of that day and the fun that I had. In honor of the 10 year crashiversary I wore my purple boots again, the same pair I wore on the red deck of Nepenthe that night. Ironically my clothes were cut off either in the helicopter or at the hospital but they saved the boots, because these boots were made for walking...they are just on a break right now.

Relay for Rachael virtual fundraiser

 Thank you to all who participated and donated to my virtual fundraiser on September 20th. It was a huge success and during these challenging times I am even more grateful for your continued support. I say it over and over again but I couldn’t do this without you. Every penny donated goes into the pockets of my caregivers and trainers who help me get through my days. I loved receiving the photos and videos of people getting movement for me. You inspire me to keep on keeping on.

Relay for Rachael Virtual Run! Sunday, September 20 at 10 AM!

Relay for Rachael Virtual Run! Sunday, September 20th, 2020 at 10am!

With the marathon being cancelled in April due to the pandemic and then cancelled again for the November 15th date we are doing a virtual run with the same goal of raising funds to help with Rachael‘s ongoing care and physical therapy after a car accident left her a quadriplegic in 2010.

In honor of the 10th year we are doing a 10 mile run, walk, hike, skip. You can do the 10 miles yourself or break it up as a relay with friends/family.  Everyone will start around 10 AM from a location of their choice and we are hoping people will share photos and videos of their run (or walk, hike, skip) on social media and more importantly, have fun!

Donations can be made at:https://relayforrachael.com/

Rescheduled Relay fundraiser

The Big Sur marathon has been rescheduled until November 15, 2020 so my annual relay fundraiser will be postponed until then. I am so grateful for the donations still coming in at www.relayforrachael.com to help with my cost of care even though the fundraiser has been postponed. I couldn’t do it without you! Thank you for BEing the light!

Covid-19...strange times.

I’ve had my life change in a moment so I am not new to adapting. 

Here we are on day 25 of the stay at home order in California. I try not to think about natural disasters or emergencies because it stresses me out, what will I do if I can’t get the care that I need?  I’ve lived through fires, floods and earthquakes but never with a spinal cord injury. I can now say I’ve lived through a pandemic (fingers crossed :) and social distancing is not an option for me. 

Luckily my caregivers are here for me and have been staying healthy. I have 8 people in and out of my house throughout the week plus family members. All I can do is disinfect surfaces and hope that they are being careful when they are not here. Once again my life is very different than most. In the last 10 years I’ve maybe been in a grocery store 10 times, I oddly miss it, but in times like this I am very grateful to have the help that I do. 

I miss the movement that I am not getting currently from the pool and different therapies but this is pushing me to get as much movement on my own which is my ultimate goal here. Thanks Covid-19 for making me think outside the box once again on how to get the movement I need to stay healthy.

This time of year I would normally be posting about my annual Relay fundraiser at the Big Sur International Marathon. My runners would be hitting Highway 1 on the last Sunday of April to raise funds for my ongoing care and physical therapy. We started the fundraiser back in January so fortunately I was able to raise some funds before the pandemic, and we should be hearing the rescheduled date soon. 

I hope you and yours are staying healthy and sane during these very different times.  Stay home my friends and I will see you on the flipside...and now more than ever it is important to remember to be the light.

The weird things you get yourself into during a pandemic.

10th annual Relay for Rachael!

The 10th annual Relay for Rachael is here! This year we have 8 teams, the most ever! Again as I say every year I couldn’t do it without you. Every penny donated goes into the pockets of people who work with me...my caregivers, my trainers, all of the people who get me up and moving every day. 

My runners hit Highway 1 on Sunday, April 26th to help raise funds for my ongoing care. Donations can be made at www.relayforrachael.com. We will also be having a fundraising dinner at the Carmel Valley Lodge in Carmel Valley on Friday, April 24th. Details to come.

As hard as I work at staying healthy unfortunately I have let my health slip this past year. With stress from the move and not having enough care I ended up with a pressure sore in the beginning of January, damn it. It’s what i’ve worked so hard to avoid over the past nine years...i’m taking this as a learning lesson, as is life, and I will heal this thing. I’ve had to reevaluate alot of things, i’m not able to sit in my chair for very long and I need to eat more food (for the padding :). I don’t know how long it will take to heal but i’m doing everything possible to allow it to. I miss the gallery, I miss doing photography, I miss getting out in the community, but this to shall pass.  Thank you for your support, your love and for being the light. I feel it.

Sean Cheng

I lost a dear friend. But he was more than a friend, he gave me hope when I needed it the most. He came into my life six months after my injury in 2010 and laid the foundation for my rehab that I continue with today. He lived with me for a year and we exercised everyday. He would often ask me “Are you Rachael weak or Rachael strong?”. Every night would end with him massaging my legs and feet and he would tell me that I had the happiest feet in the world. Sean was 74 years old and was found dead on the beach in Half Moon Bay on January 24th still strapped to his paddleboard. Apparently he had taken up paddle boarding a few months ago, that’s the type of guy Sean was. He exercised every day, he swam, biked, did tai chi, he was always active. He was a man of many strengths and talents. He had served in the Air Force in the Chinese military, studied neo-confucianism and later in life he became a personal trainer and CNA to help people with paralysis. In the last email I received from him he stated “Time fly, too fast, I feel there are only two days a week, two weeks a month, four months a year.”  I told him I understood completely and felt the same way. I would’ve never met this man if I hadn’t been in that car accident. These are the gifts I will take from this life. Thank you Sean for your dedication, your love and your encouragement. I would not be where I am today without you. You are the light.