I'm not sure what to make of this.

Mike's_LP

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Bride-to-be moves on after tragic prank - Yahoo! News

This is an incredible story about a young lady who was accidentally paralyzed by her best friend, she swears that she's completely fine with the whole thing. IDK if she's still in shock, denial, or if she's one of those rarest of human beings...

There's a video that didn't come through with the copy & paste.

Bride-to-be moves on after tragic prank


By Mike Krumboltz mike Krumboltz – 1 hr 57 mins ago

A few weeks before her wedding day, Rachelle Friedman went out for her bachelorette party with some close friends last May. After a night out on the town, the group went to the home of Rachelle's best friend.

The friend playfully pushed Rachelle into the swimming pool — something they'd done to each other many times before — but this time the bride-to-be landed on her head, paralyzing her from her chest down.

In the ensuing six months, Rachelle has worked to adjust to her new reality. Despite the odds and the tragic turn her life has taken, she is "doing awesome," Friedman says in a Monday interview with the "Today" show. She credits her family and her fiancé, Chris Chapman — who says in the segment that the wedding is still on: "I never once thought about leaving her or this situation." As for the friend, whose name Rachelle wants to keep from the press, Rachelle says, "I'm absolutely best friends with the girl…. Blaming her would be ridiculous."

Watch the "Today" show interview with Rachelle Friedman and Chris Chapman:

In a recent interview with ABC News, Friedman recalled more of the accident. "I instantly went stiff and couldn't move," she said. "I weirdly did not panic. I kind of knew exactly what happened, and I floated up to the surface and said, 'Help,' and then my friends called 911."

ABC reports that the doctors at the hospital "quickly determined that Friedman had suffered a C6 spinal cord injury, leaving her unable to walk or even feel sensation beneath her collarbone." Friedman spent nearly three months in the hospital before beginning rehab. It was then, according to ABC, that she learned just how difficult things were going to be.

[Video: Homecoming king's long journey of recovery after head injuries]

"It was definitely a reality check about the long road I was going to have," Friedman said. She has no function in her hands and fingers. "I didn't think about that in ICU," she said. "You only think, 'I'm not going to walk.' "

In addition to the incredible physical challenges, there have been significant financial strains as well. She is receiving help from Medicaid, but if she marries Chapman, their combined income will make her ineligible for assistance.

Complicated insurance questions have also been an ongoing issue. A widely read article from CNN explains more of the challenges that Friedman and future husband Chris Chapman have faced in the weeks leading up to what will be Friedman's first Thanksgiving in a wheelchair.

Despite all the challenges, Friedman is doing her best to stay active. She joined a wheelchair rugby league and holds no ill will toward her friend. Her general philosophy on rehab also keeps her going: "Almost all of it is attitude."
 

Caleb

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She's a more forgiving freind than me....
 

rockstar232007

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I don't see what's so "weird" about her forgiving her friend? It was an accident. It's not like it was done intentionally.

"The friend playfully pushed Rachelle into the swimming pool — something they'd done to each other many times before"

Just as we were told by our parents as children when doing something dangerous; "Just because something didn't happen, doesn't mean it won't. It was just a matter of time.
 

spacebubby

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I don't see what's so "weird" about her forgiving her friend? It was an accident. It's not like it was done intentionally.

Agreed. It wasn't done on purpose. Not saying it would be easy though. Usually people are drinking at a bachelorette party and not thinking as clearly.
 

Mike's_LP

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Well, I'd do my best to get on with things, but as far as absolute forgiveness, I couldn't say.
 

spacebubby

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Hating or blaming the friend won't undo anything that's happened. What's done is done. I'm sure her friend feels terrible about what happened.
 

Caleb

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Hating or blaming the friend won't undo anything that's happened. What's done is done. I'm sure her friend feels terrible about what happened.

While I agree in theory, I have no idea what my feelings would actually be if I were in her place.
 

spacebubby

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While I agree in theory, I have no idea what my feelings would actually be if I were in her place.

That's the thing, there is no way to tell unless it happens to you. Why I said it wouldn't be easy. Would most people eventually get to that point, sure. But it would take a bit more time for some than others. There's no way to tell what the friend is going through either.
 

djwilbanks

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I imagine it would be hard, but it sounds like she had a pretty positive outlook on life anyway. It's not like her friend pushed her our of a moving vehicle or beat her in the head with a rock.

I think, if I were in her shoes, I would be pretty bitter about it, but I'd be as upbeat as possible because if you dwell on what happened then you'd never move past it.
 

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