Rachelle Friedman

Last updated
Rachelle Friedman Chapman
Born
Rachelle Friedman

(1985-10-02) October 2, 1985 (age 38)
Education Cape Henry Collegiate School
Alma mater East Carolina University
Occupation(s)Blogger, author
SpouseChris Chapman
Children1

Rachelle Friedman Chapman (born 1985) is an American blogger best known for becoming paralyzed after a 2010 accident where her best friend playfully pushed her into a pool during her bachelorette party. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Friedman is from a Jewish family. [3] Her parents are Carol and Larry Friedman. [3] She attended Cape Henry Collegiate School, a private school in Virginia Beach, Virginia [4] and in 2008, she graduated from East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, North Carolina with a degree in recreation management. [5]

Accident

In May 2010, Friedman and her best friends returned home from her bachelorette party and decided to go swimming. One of her friends playfully pushed her into the pool, ultimately causing Friedman to shatter her vertebrae and become quadriplegic. Friedman has done many interviews, on shows including Katie and The Today Show since her accident, and wrote a book, The Promise, so called for the promise she and her friends made amongst each other to never name the friend who pushed her, chronicling her life leading up to the accident as well as the aftermath. The book was published by Skirt!, an imprint of Globe Pequot Press, in 2014. [6]

Personal life

Friedman met her husband, Chris Chapman, while attending ECU. [7] Their wedding was postponed after her accident, but the two were married on July 22, 2011. [8] [9] Their daughter, Kaylee Rae Chapman, was born on April 26, 2015, in Asheville, North Carolina to a surrogate. [10] As of 2014, she lives in Knightdale, North Carolina [5] where her husband is a teacher at Heritage Middle School in Wake County, North Carolina. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Bachelorette</i> (American TV series) US television series

The Bachelorette is an American reality television dating game show that debuted on ABC on January 8, 2003. The show is a spin-off of The Bachelor and the staple part of The Bachelor franchise. The first season featured Trista Rehn, the runner-up from the first season of The Bachelor, offering the opportunity for Rehn to choose a husband among 25 bachelors. The 2004 season of The Bachelorette again took a runner-up from the previous season of The Bachelor. After last airing on February 28, 2005, the series returned to ABC during the spring of 2008, following an absence of three years, and has since become an annual staple of the network's summer programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Curtis Chapman</span> American contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter

Steven Curtis Chapman is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lizzy Caplan</span> American actress (born 1982)

Elizabeth Anne Caplan is an American actress. Her first acting role was on the television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000). She received wider recognition with roles in the films Mean Girls (2004) and Cloverfield (2008), she also starred on the television shows Related (2005–2006), The Class (2006–2007), and Party Down.

<i>The Sea Inside</i> 2004 Spanish drama film

The Sea Inside is a 2004 Spanish psychological drama film co-written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar, who also co-produced, scored and edited. It is based on the real-life story of Ramón Sampedro, who was left quadriplegic after a diving accident, and his 28-year campaign in support of euthanasia and the right to end his life. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elena Mukhina</span> Soviet gymnast (1960–2006)

Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina was a Soviet gymnast who won the all-around title at the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg, France. Her career was on the rise, and she was widely touted as the next great gymnastics star until 1979, when she broke a leg and missed several competitions. The rushed recovery from that injury, combined with pressure to master a dangerous and difficult tumbling move caused her to break her neck two weeks before the opening of the 1980 Summer Olympics, leaving her permanently quadriplegic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bachelorette party</span> Party held for a woman who is about to get married

A bachelorette party or hen night is a party held for a woman who will soon be married. While Beth Montemurro concludes that the bachelorette party is modelled after the centuries-old stag night in the US, which is itself historically a dinner given by the bridegroom to his friends shortly before his wedding, Sheila Young argues that its British counterpart evolved from a number of earlier pre-wedding traditions for women whose origins are obscure but which have been around for at least a century in factories and offices across the UK. Despite its reputation as "a sodden farewell to maiden days" or "an evening of debauchery", these events can simply be parties given in honor of the bride-to-be, in the style that is common to that social circle.

Julissa D'Anne Gomez was an American gymnast whose rapid rise through the ranks of elite gymnastics in the mid-1980s was cut short by a vaulting accident in 1988 that left her a quadriplegic. She eventually died from her injury. She was being coached by Al Fong, and had previously been coached by Bela Karolyi.

Christina "Christy" Renée Henrich was an American artistic gymnast. Her death from anorexia nervosa at age 22 led to major reforms in the way women's gymnastics is covered on television and in the news media. She was coached by Al Fong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachelle Lefevre</span> Canadian actress

Rachelle Marie Lefèvre is a Canadian actress. She has starred in the television series Big Wolf on Campus and had recurring roles in What About Brian, Boston Legal, and Swingtown. She played the vampire Victoria in the first two films of the Twilight saga. In 2011, she starred in the ABC medical drama Off the Map, followed by the CBS series A Gifted Man (2011–2012) and Under the Dome (2013–2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Carolina Pirates</span> Athletic teams that represent East Carolina University

The East Carolina Pirates are the athletic teams that represent East Carolina University (ECU), located in Greenville, North Carolina. All varsity-level sports teams participate at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The school became an NCAA member in 1961.

In the United States and Canada, weddings follow traditions often based on religion, culture, and social norms. Most wedding traditions in the United States and Canada were assimilated from other, generally European, countries. Marriages in the U.S. and Canada are typically arranged by the participants and ceremonies may either be religious or civil. There is a tradition that the prospective bridegroom ask his future father-in-law for his blessing.

<i>Joni</i> (film) 1980 American film

Joni is a 1980 drama film and biopic directed by James F. Collier. It is based on her autobiography of the same name. It is the true story of Joni Eareckson Tada, a seventeen-year-old girl who becomes paralyzed after a diving accident. Through her physical, emotional and spiritual struggles, Joni learns to trust in God. Billy Graham financed the film through his company World Wide Pictures and appeared in a cameo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Yeardley Love</span> American murder case

The murder of Yeardley Love took place on May 3, 2010, in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. Love, a University of Virginia (UVA) women's lacrosse student-athlete, was found unresponsive in her Charlottesville apartment, and later that day, UVA men's lacrosse player George Wesley Huguely V was arrested by Charlottesville police. Huguely was tried and found guilty of Love's murder, receiving a 23-year prison sentence.

<i>Push Girls</i> American TV series or program

Push Girls is an American reality television series on the SundanceTV. A sneak peek episode, and original premiere date, aired on April 17, 2012, with the official debut on June 4, 2012. Push Girls chronicles the lives of four women—Angela Rockwood, Tiphany Adams, Mia Schaikewitz, and Auti Angel—who have been paralyzed by illness or accident and displays the day-to-day challenges and triumphs they encounter. The series is set in Los Angeles, California.

Liberty Mariposa Phoenix is an American actress. She is the older sister of Summer Phoenix and the younger sister of River Phoenix, Rain Phoenix, and Joaquin Phoenix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greta Zimmer Friedman</span> Austrian-born American woman in iconic photo

Greta Friedman was an Austrian-born American who was photographed being grabbed and kissed by Navy sailor George Mendonsa (1923–2019) in the iconic V-J Day in Times Square photograph of 1945 by Life magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. For decades the photograph was misattributed in popular culture as being that of a nurse, however, Friedman was wearing a white uniform because she was a dental assistant.

Anam Najam is a Pakistani medical doctor and psychiatrist. She is Pakistan's first and only quadriplegic psychiatrist. She is a recipient of the Chevening Scholarship for higher studies in the United Kingdom.

Caelynn Marie Bell is an American television personality, model, and beauty pageant titleholder. Miller-Keyes received national recognition after appearing as a contestant on season 23 of The Bachelor.

Tayshia Adams is an American television personality. She received national recognition after appearing as a contestant on season 23 of The Bachelor and the sixth season of Bachelor in Paradise. On November 5, 2020, Adams replaced Clare Crawley as the Bachelorette on season 16 of The Bachelorette. Adams co-hosted The Bachelorette season 17 and 18.

References

  1. Friedman, Rachelle (6 May 2014). The Promise: A Tragic Accident, a Paralyzed Bride, and the Power of Love, Loyalty, and Friendship. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   9781493009015 . Retrieved 19 June 2016 via Google Books.
  2. Boudin, Michelle (April 30, 2015). "Paralyzed Bride Rachelle Friedman Chapman's Life as a New Mom". People. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Jewish News April 25, 2003 Page 8". Southeastern Virginia Jewish News. 25 April 2003. Retrieved 19 June 2016 via Jewish News Newspaper Archive, jnt.stparchive.com.
  4. Walzer, Phil. "'Today' gives paralyzed Beach native a home makeover" . Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 "N.C. quadriplegic awaits birth of first child". Star-News . Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  6. "The Promise: A Tragic Accident, a Paralyzed Bride, and the Power of Love, Loyalty, and Friendship by Friedman, Rachelle: Skirt! 9780762792948 - Better World Books". AbeBooks . Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  7. Stump, Scott (7 January 2015). "'Paralyzed bride' reveals gender of her first child". today.com . Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  8. "Paralyzed bride-to-be ready to say 'I do'". sfgate.com. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  9. "Paralyzed bride learning to walk again". nydailynews.com. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  10. 1 2 ""Paralyzed bride" Rachelle Friedman Chapman's baby daughter brings joys, challenges". newsobserver.com . Retrieved 19 June 2016.