MINNEAPOLIS — July 31, 2021 is a day Sam and Stephanie Secrist will never forget.
"We got a phone call from a 911 operator that Rachel was in an accident, and wouldn't tell us a lot of details to it," said Sam.
Their daughter, Rachel, was on her way home to the family's cabin when she was left critically injured in a car crash.
"Rather than just wait to find out details, we just jumped in the car, drove and came across the accident scene," he said. "Rachel asked Stephanie to go off and pray, and I stayed with her until they were able to get her out of the car."
The family later learned Rachel had damage to her vertebrae.
"We got to Children's Hospital and realized she was paralyzed from the waist down," said Sam.
"I couldn't believe it; I was in shock," said Stephanie.
"We are talking to the doctors and they're like, 'She may never walk again,'" said Sam.
But through persistence and consistent therapy at Allina Health's Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, Rachel was able to defy the odds, even reaching one of her goals this past June.
"To walk at graduation, across the stage, and she worked hard to be able to do that," said Stephanie.
"A lot of going to therapy and seeing others and what they have to do to recover and I realized I was fortunate, and knowing I could reach those goals made me want to work harder to get past them," said Rachel.
Now a student at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, Rachel says she's looking toward her future and thanking those who helped her on the journey to recovery.
"My parents helped push me through," she said. "I love them a lot and my sisters, too, and the reason I'm here is because of them," said Rachel.
Rachel is also getting ready to take part in the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute Adaptive Swimming.
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