Rachelle Chapman has become known worldwide as the “paralyzed bride” after a pool accident at her bachelorette party rendered her a quadriplegic.
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But this is one fighter who has chosen to become better—instead of bitter—out of her struggles.
“I didn’t blame her for hurting me, because we’ve all pushed somebody in a pool, and I was very supportive of her,” said Rachelle. The first year I made sure that she was OK, even more than me.”
She was able to move past the accident and even marry the man of her dreams despite the disability, but there was still one thing that Rachelle called “the missing piece” to the home she shared with her husband, Chris.
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“We were happily wed for a long time, but then I felt that I really wanted a child with Chris,” she told TODAY.
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And finally, the couple is getting to celebrate a milestone that at one time seemed impossible: their beautiful baby girl, Kaylee!
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Through the help of a surrogate, Rachelle was able to live out the dream of motherhood so deeply ingrained in her heart.
It has now been two and a half years since this little bundle of joy came to bless the Chapman household with her infectious giggles and playful spirit.
And while motherhood presents a unique set of challenges for the disabled mama, she tackles them each day with a SMILE.
Even though Rachelle can’t walk, it brought unspeakable joy to her heart to see her daughter take her first steps with the help of her wheelchair to prop her up.
“She got a lot of practice holding on to the back of my chair. She would pull up and hold on to the wheel, and then walk to the back and hold on to the bar in the back,” she told TODAY. “My wheelchair was good practice for her. She would basically push my wheelchair. It was so cool she learned how to do that.”