Erin Elizabeth Kenyon, 1957-2022

My sweet auntie passed away on June 22nd very quickly after being diagnosed with leukemia. She had been caregiving for me just a month prior. 

It still feels so unreal and I keep waiting for her to walk in my front door. She has always been my rock, in any emergency she was there. She was my buddy and we had so much fun together. One of the silver linings of my injury is getting to spend so much time with her over the past, nearly 12 years. She took such good care of me, and I know she is sending angels my way. 

When I was a child, before she had kids of her own I had made her a Mother’s Day card, the adults reminded me that she wasn’t a mother yet. That pretty much sums up our relationship. She was always more than an auntie to me, she was my second mom, my friend, my mentor…

When I moved back from attending Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara she helped me get a job at the Mitchell Group (now Sothebys Realty) photographing houses around the Monterey peninsula and when I was looking for an office/gallery space in town she was the one who found the current location of Gallery Exposed in Carmel. I look around my house and I see the curtains that she made for me, the pants she sewed up holes in, the flower arrangement she left on my table. I have a beef tenderloin in the freezer waiting for her to cook for us, she cooked it the best. 

She was beautiful, strong, funny, caring, creative, crafty and of course feisty (the aries with red hair). My heart is heavy for my cousins, Cody and Casey who lost their mom and for the grandbaby that she will never meet. Again and again I am reminded that life is short and that everything can change in a moment. Love the ones you’re with, give them a hug, tell them you love them. Until we meet again my sweet auntie, I love you so much, I will always be your sweet girl.

Auntie and Sean helping me with rehab at Zhu’s Neuro Acupuncture in 2011. 

Both now are angels in heaven.

Point Lobos, 2013

Baja Mexico, 2013

My 7th birthday party at Auntie’s house in Carmel Valley, 1989.

Pool time, 2020

Relay for Rachael, 2017

You have to love the 80s western wedding. Left to right: aunt Becky Dreher, uncle Tom Sullivan, my mom Katherine Anne McLachlan, great grandma Fern, aunt Erin, aunt Linda and grandma Dibbie. And yes, that’s my little pouty face in the front, I did not fulfill my flower girl duties...

Marin county, 2013

Auntie organizing the scavenger hunt at my 7th birthday party in Carmel Valley, 1989.

Relay for Rachael, 2022

Relay for Rachael 2022

Thank you to my amazing runners and all of you who keep my journey moving forward. 

Team Pfeiffer fire! The fastest team! Thank you to the Treadmill for giving my winning team new shoes.

Shawn and Jon’s first Marathons!

Best caregiver a quad could ask for 😊

Thank you for making my Relay for Rachael 2022 such a success! It was so nice to be back at the Big Sur marathon! My runners did amazing and i’m so inspired and proud of them. I’m also extremely grateful for the 350+ donors who helped me raise nearly $50k and the donations are still rolling in. I’m confident we’ll hit our goal this year and have future events in the works. It’s never too late or too little. 

I feel so fortunate to have the support of so many, I know most people don’t have that and I am grateful every day for what I have. Thank you for your continued support while I continue on this journey.

Team Pfeiffer fire was the fastest team and received shoes from the Treadmill! Team Soberanes fire came in right behind them, they’re ready for revenge next year! 

Shawn Cronin and Jon Wescott both ran their first marathons! Congratulations to you both! 

Thank you to Hacienda in Carmel Valley for hosting my Friday night dinner and to Mama J and Tbird for the delicious pasta dinner and to The Treadmill for the shoes.

It truly takes a village, and mine is the best. 

Be the Light

Relay for Rachael 2022

After two years, we are so excited to be back at the Big Sur marathon on Sunday, April 24th! Shout out to my amazing runners who are already training hard and raising funds for my ongoing care and rehab. I couldn’t do it without you!

5 marathon runners!

16 relay runners!

1 runner doing the 11 miler!

1 runner doing 100 mile virtual challenge in April!

Save the date! Annual pasta dinner with the runners! This year at Hacienda in Carmel Valley. Friday, April 22nd!

Tickets here

✨To donate visit: www.relayforrachael.com✨

11 year “crashiversary”

11 years ago Halloween was on a Sunday, this is the first year since that day that it has fallen on a Sunday again. I have played that day over and over again in my head. It was a good day.

It has been nice to return to some normalcy after another confusing year. I have been trying to set time aside to photograph in nature again, if I don’t schedule it in it won’t happen. My creative time is the first to get pushed aside when life gets hectic. I currently have an exhibit up at Alta bakery in Monterey (new work going up in January). It has been nice exploring the historic Cooper Adobe buildings and hanging out in the courtyard, while enjoying delicious food and sharing my artwork. My 2022 calendars are ready to go and are available in my online shop, remember they make great gifts! (How is it going to be 2022!?)

Rehab update:

I look back to where I was last year and i’m happy to say, i’m doing much better. Last October started five months of pain in my body and i’m still not sure the cause. With spinal cord injuries we experience something called autonomic dysreflexia, it’s the way our body feels pain. For me this is profuse sweating where I have full sensation, from the chest up. Every night I usually experience AD for an hour or two but for those four-five months it was happening the entire night. 

The one big change that occurred before these intense months of pain was lack of physical therapy and exercise due to the pandemic. I was out of the pool for a year (I returned in February 2021). The bodywork and therapies I needed to stay healthy and pain-free weren’t available. It was a huge reminder of why I am doing what I am doing every day and why it is so important. As soon as I started getting more exercise and back in the pool the intense sweating stopped. I am so thankful every day for the movement I am able to get. This is only possible because I have the financial support and encouragement from my community and friends. It truly does take a village, and because of you, the journey continues…

‘‘We need to be angels for each other, to give each other strength and consolation. Because only when we fully realize that the cup of life is not only a cup of sorrow but also a cup of joy will we be able to drink it.’’

 -HENRI NOUWEN

At Alta Bakery in Monterey 

Holy, Holey Tree, 2021

Me photographing the above image at Palo Corona regional park.

 

100 mile challenge wrap up!

They did it! Most of my runners reached 100 miles (there were some injuries along the way 😢). One runner said they were going to collapse into a fetal position and whimper when they finished their 100 miles on June 30th, but they did it 😝! I’m so inspired and proud of them. I’m also extremely grateful to the 300+ donors that helped me reach my goal of $50k, to help pay for my 24hr care and physical therapy. I feel fortunate to have the support of so many, I know most people don’t have that. I am grateful every day for the movement that I get, to keep my mind and body healthy. 

A huge shout out to the Big Sur River Inn for their continued support and for hosting the fundraising barbecue on July 9th! And many thanks to the Bitter Ginger, the Saucy Maiden and the Random Pickler for their food and wine donations.

Thank you for BEing my light!

💜 Rachael

Relay for Rachael Road Runner challenge

 Relay for Rachael Roadrunner Challenge!

The challenge:

100 miles in June

This would’ve been the 11th annual Relay for Rachael fundraiser at the Big Sur marathon at the end of April but since the marathon was canceled again this year we will be going virtual in June with the Roadrunner 100 mile challenge. 

The challenge concept is simple, complete 100 miles in June 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. Thank you for BEing the light! 

More info on how to donate and participate: www.relayforrachael.com

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.