A bride-to-be was left paralyzed during her bachelorette party after one of her bridesmaids shoved her into a pool.
Rachelle Chapman had always envisioned her wedding being one of the happiest days of her life, but a freak accident right before the big day changed everything for her.
Taking to TikTok, the 38-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina opened up about the incident in a viral video that has been watched over 20 million times.
“When my best friend pushed me in a pool at my bachelorette party, I was permanently paralyzed," she wrote in a text overlay showing a still of her sitting in her wheelchair.
"Will I ever get over it?" the sound in the background stated. "No, but life goes on."
In another separate video, Rachelle delved into the details of her story.
“14 years ago today my whole world was rocked,” she wrote alongside some photos before the tragic accident.
"I was 24-years-old and life was on a fantastic path," she said. "I had bought a house, got my first real job and had just gotten engaged to my college sweetheart."
Her world then came crashing down just shortly before her wedding day.
"It was time for my bachelorette party and I was so excited," recalled the TikToker. “But after a fun night with friends, we came back to the house to go swimming. In a playful gesture, a friend pushed me in the pool."
While the act was not supposed to be malicious, it ended up changing Rachelle's life forever.
She fell into the pool on her neck which caused a spinal injury.
A year later, after some intense rehab, she made it down the aisle and officially tied the knot with her husband, and the woman that pushed her into the pool was there watching amongst the rest of her loved ones.
Despite changing the trajectory of her life, Rachelle ended up forgiving her friend.
"I could go into detail about everything that happened that night,” she continued in the video. “But now, the story is about love, family, and overcoming odds."
"We got married a year later, had a baby girl four years after that and [are now] living our best life. In a lot of ways I’m really really lucky," she added.
Hundreds headed to the comments to discuss the situation further.
"God that’s terrifying. Imagine pushing someone in the pool and drastically affecting their life this way," wrote one user while another commended her husband: "When he said in sickness and in health he meant it."
A third also referred to Rachelle as an "inspiration."
In another video, the TikToker gave others some advice about looking for the positives in life.
"Let me take this opportunity to say that I do want there to be a cure and I think about it often,” she said. "But it’s possible to want that and still get on with life being grateful for what you currently have, and I know that.”
"My message to you is to stay grateful, humble and kind,” she continued. “And be careful around water," she added.
