OPERATION Williams Family

Updates below!

Rachelle Williams, a beloved member of our Halo Fitness Experience and CrossFit703 community, recently suffered a severe spinal cord injury on 4-24 due to a weightlifting accident (see below for more details and updates). As she navigates this challenging journey of recovery, along with her devoted husband and four children, they face significant financial hurdles in the weeks, months, and even years ahead.

In times like these, our solidarity and support can make an immense difference. We are called as a community to contribute whatever we can to aid Rachelle and her family during this trying time. Your donations will not only provide much-needed financial relief so they can focus on Rachelle and her recovery, but also serve as a beacon of hope and strength for them.

Together, as a united community, we can lighten their load, even if just by a fraction. Let's stand by Rachelle and her family, showing them that they are not alone in this fight. Your generosity and compassion will undoubtedly make a profound impact on their lives.

**Consider checking the box to cover the processing fees so the Williams family receives 100% of the donations!

Rachelle was admitted to the ICU at Inova Fairfax on the afternoon of April 24 after a weightlifting accident, resulting in a severe spinal cord injury. She underwent a surgery that evening to fuse portions of her spine and spent the next 7 days in the ICU. She was on a vent around the clock until a trach was placed on April 29th. She has since started weaning off of the vent, and as of May 7 is spending more time off of the vent than on it! She also regained her smell after 10 days, a huge victory!

She currently does not have any use of her lower body, and limited in her upper body. She just started intense PT and will need this for the forseeable future. There will be significant house and living considerations, they will need help for their 4 children in the form of a nanny or au pair, and so many more things that all require additional financial resources.

UPDATES provided by Rachelle's sister, Dawn:

9/23/24:

35 times I have come to you through a keyboard and a screen, sharing some of our deepest vulnerabilities as a family and of my little sister, Rachelle. (aka Skunk or Skunkweed

) It's daunting really. How much to share? How much belongs rather in the non existent journal or the couch in some counselor's office, and how much belongs to you-our dear friends, family? There really isn't an answer to that question, so I once again attempt to share part of Rachelle's story. Part of our story as a family. Part of your story as her friends; an almost exactly five month old story.

No one writes this into their story. It's every emotion you try to avoid or build around/through in life. It's a worst fear. When you are a kid and learning to write a story, or perhaps a young person and you are learning to love reading books, the more tragic the story, the more thrilling; the more you are pulled into that character. If developed well, it's the kind of story that earned you a large letter A on the top of your paper in red pen. Creative! Excellent! But in real life, no one would write it for themselves, no matter the perceived ending of victory or hope or endurance realized by the main character and her supporting characters.

Rachelle gave Jesus the pen of her story as a young girl. Like many of us who have accepted the gift of Jesus being our Lord, she has taken it back a few times and tried to write a few chapters on her own. This is not that. Rachelle and Ray trust Jesus. Even in this time where it feels like the pages of their story are written in invisible ink or a foreign language. What the heck are these pages and chapters trying to say?!

This past week had lots of highlights through visitors! Homemade chicken noodle soup, lunches out, and one visitor even arranged a handful of her friends to provide some homemade freezer meal(S)!

Therapy is good. Nothing beats the sessions in the pool which typically only happen once a week. (but feel free to pray that they will be more frequent! And it sure makes showering less cumbersome on these days too!) The pool therapist even said today that she felt some response in her quads. PLEASE Jesus, if that would bring You the most glory, WAKE THOSE SUCKERS UP!!!

Rachelle's beloved gym, CrossFit703, held a fundraising workout in her honor on Saturday. It was humbling and awesome, and friends txted her all day with updates. Every series of reps had a meaning-way cool.

Wiler, their oldest son (14), asked a girl to "HoCo" this week in a ridiculously creative way. Yeah, he uses cool words like HoCo. He sent his parents a video of it. Their kids growing up in pages of their own story in which Rachelle and Ray long to be lead characters in alongside each of their children. Keep praying for the kids and the relationship at a distance.

Ya'll prayed last week after the update.! We know! The Holy Spirit of Comfort and the God of Hope has given the following that I will share in direct quote from Rachelle. Thank you. Keep praying.

"I still wake up everyday and tell my brain to move my body, each part. I'm not sure how to explain it, but It seems like this routine has moved from a thought to a potential action. Like glimmers of hope that it's possible...but I still can't move my thumb so how can I expect my toes to move?

My triceps have engaged! When my arm is over my head, I can lower my wrist down and back up w/ wrist weights. My triceps don't have feeling, but I can do what they didn't expect would be possible. My left side is the strongest. I can do nearly a pound with my triceps. I can do 3 lbs with my biceps. I hesitate to have Dawn share that, it seems so little, and the reality of it makes me emotional.

I can remember a respiratory doctor being disappointed in my on command deep breaths earlier on in this process. I can take a really deep breath now, and you can even see it in my stomach. Take that respiratory doctor!!-ask me again!

Ray and I both need more sleep. Real restful sleep never seems to really come and we are exhausted. Pray for that please."

Another big week awaits. Seasons have changed from spring to summer to fall since April 24, 2024. That's pretty insane. Please pray that the chapter God writes in Rachelle's story this fall is miraculous.

...and that we all keep trusting Him fully with every page He is writing. "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16)

9/16/24:

"I find joy in ice-cream, mint chocolate chip is my current favorite. All my words are pretty negative. We've been to the Chicago Institute of Art a few times. Turns out I like Impressionism. Therapy is every weekday-pool, PT and OT. I'm good at brushing my teeth. We've been having a fair amount of visitors and that's fun. My niece even came!

I'm at the half way point of my intensive outpatient. I meet with my primary doctor next week and plans for VA doctors and protocols will begin. Sobering.

I'm losing hope. Everything seems daunting. And for the kids. ...I'll ask, 'Is there anything you need? Toothpaste? Shampoo?'...'Mommy, we just need you.' My heart breaks. And there will be so many hard things in VA when we get there, it's almost like hard just begins then. Nothing is getting any easier. Not a lot of answers, just a lot of paperwork and planning.

We had fun trying to think of a Biblical analogy for this update, a place from which to draw illustrative strength...Jonah, wandering in the wilderness, Job?-some journeys are your own with God and they don't really reflect something from the Bible...God is real. He is present. With us. With our kids. With you. Thanks for every prayer." -Rachelle

9/2/24:

Have you ever squeezed or wrung out a sponge, a lemon, dishcloth, package of chocolate syrup…you squeeze to get rid of something, or to get the very last drop of something you want. Sometimes, you feel like you’re in a squeeze…or vice. When is it going to let up?! Or is it holding you secure? Good grief! The mental gymnastics. A friend bought Rachelle some personal, disposable bathing sponges. The bathing routing is daily daunting and creative. Little sponges filled with cleansing wash-squeeze.

In general, this has been a good week. Rachelle’s feet touched and felt (!) grass for the first time in four months. Being grounded. Feeling grounded. It’s a big deal. Our parents went to visit. They did the perfect parent things and even brought fresh veggies, potato salad and meatloaf. They cleaned and organized their apartment and squeezed all they could out of the day.

Ray and Rachelle braved public transportation and went to an aquarium and another day rode the Farris wheel at Navy Pier. Here’s where the mental squeeze gets confusing. A married couple in the city doing fun things. But paralyzed. Only there because of that. There because everyday is therapy. There not for a date weekend but to live-apart from their children. Squeeze. Try to enjoy the moments. Get every second of good. Squeeze. But also, squeeze harder so we can finish this day, this time, this season-and go home.

Squeezing speeds things up. You get what you want faster. Good, and bad. Please, please pray for the squeeze. Not poetic-but what the heck is the purpose of this squeeze? The obvious answer is to bring glory to God. Being paralyzed does that? Only being able to FT your kids on a hit and miss schedule does that? Longing to parent but not being able to does that? Insane unknown does that? Feeling like your legs are on fire does that? In faith and trust, we know the answer is yes. Frankly, the line between what is a good squeeze or a bad squeeze is getting harder to discern. Squeezing is supposed to make something leave or something that’s enjoyed to happen faster. This isn’t fast.

*Pray specifically for Rachelle’s right hand/fingers, the left hand has 3 of 5 fingers w subtle movement-praise

*Pray for wisdom and tenancy in navigating all the mental gymnastics, emotions, daily work in self care, and medical/insurance paperwork and knowledge. Praise, the list of what needs to be done is more organized and some filed.

*Pray about split heart/brain reality of having to focus and work hard where they are while their home and family are states away.

*Every little part of Rachelle’s body that wakes up matters. Huge. Such guttural longing for movement and its impact on family and life

“Carry one another’s burdens” I Thess. 5:11

Thank you.

8/26/24:

Independent. Dependent. I looked up both those words and just sat with them for awhile prior to this update. I used both a "secular grid" as well as a "faith grid." Heck, I could write an illustrative paper just from my few minutes of wrestling those words. You almost immediately know the positives and negatives of both, but you don’t always get to choose which word and meaning you think you want.

Rachelle wakes up every day, frankly, kinda depressed. Dependent. Hope that maybe something will move. Trying and testing her mind and body. Directing a few lines of prayer to her loving heavenly Father. Then calling out to her husband in the next room for...dependence to continue in what it takes to get ready for a day. Then the strict schedule of care that must be followed.

Therapy continues, typically two sessions, one of occupational and one of physical, 5 days a week. Independence. That's what therapists push for-every degree of independence that can be gained or strengthened. The pool opportunities are by far the best. Your whole body seemingly weightless-no pressure. The water supporting you while you sit solo on a bench in it or float with the movement of your arms, or stand (!), with great assistance, using your core not your legs to accomplish that feat. "It just feels so good to stand, to be upright!" -Rachelle *Pray for outrageously great therapists and multiplied results. May she have favor and more therapy than planned *Praise for the support water brings! Praise that it means an easier shower opportunity on swim days.

The kids are far away and FT and phone calls come as frequently as real schedules allow. Frankly, I'm not in a strong enough place as a sister/aunt to give updates for really any of this, but tonight, I don't have the reserve to share about the kids. I mean, they are still cute and all, but

*Pray for their courage and determination to be strong, trusting and positive in ever changing and unknown circumstances. *Praise that they are in their own home, together, with a great care giver, a fabulous church family, neighborhood and community.

Independence. Ray and Rachelle have been two weeks in their apartment, and the care and management of "temporary," is daunting. I could really get in the weeds here illustrating the work of the day to day, the learning curve unrelenting. *Pray for good, outside stimulation for Ray (and Rachelle) *pray for nursing care to be covered *Praise for their proximity to Shirley Ryan and big windows

7/26/24:

“Every morning when I wake up, I tell my brain to move my body one part at a time. Today, my index finger did what my brain told it to do!!”

These bonus updates are favorites

. Today, Rachelle also made French toast-including the cutting up of the strawberries. She went outside on her “bike.” (I can’t wait to share the potential miracle of her riding a real bike someday-rumor has it that it will be red). Rachelle is a favorite of therapists and apple fritters from a local bakery are sometimes the result

7/15/24:

A week of new steps (someday, we ARE GOING TO say steps and mean actual steps!! Praying that way?!) and visitors.

Weekly boxing has been added-think a slow motion fight

, and fighting is awesome right now!! Rachelle was upright in gait training for a full 60 minutes and her blood pressure stayed stable. Both surprise and planned visits of friends and family robbed the daily routine of sameness and touched emotions. Later this week, that neck brace is going to be history (!) and there may even be a hair cut in the works to celebrate

7/3/24:

I can’t clear my eyes for the tears! Shouting!! Thank you, Jesus!! Please, more!! I typically only do weekly updates, but…miracles are happening!!! Pray on warrior friends. Check. This. Out.

Manually moving a chair!!! Electrodes are NOT moving her thumb. RACHELLE IS MOVING HER THUMB!!! (miracle memory check...when this journey began she was on a breathing tube, stomach tube, and could only shrug her shoulders and raise her arms only inches, and could feel nothing from the upper chest down)

https://www.facebook.com/1687069530/videos/988489722981357/

6/17/24:

Did you glance at these pictures and then quickly scroll the text to see if God had given us the miracle we can understand?! To be clear, Shell is not walking. Although if you haven’t prayed for the miracle that she will yet today-today isn’t over, so do it!

When Ray sent the pictures my brain didn’t know how to take it all in. It was my “normal” sister, upright for the first time in seven weeks. (Gosh, that’s not very long-why does it seem like a lifetime?) Nearly everyday now they have Rachelle “walking” with electrodes and the like, making her legs do the motion while a harness holds her in place. It’s exhausting and awesome, all at the same time. The other picture shows her with a stylus, crafted specifically for her with copper wires that take the “feeling” of her skin so she can “touch” a screen. It’s all the teeter totter of the ups and downs. These things are way cool-and awful that you’d need them. The speech and breathing therapists think she’s a rockstar at deep inhales and exhales. It IS great…but what the heck measuring stick are we using here?

Specifics to take to Jesus:

*the kids go in different directions with various family members this week for the rest of the summer

*YOU continue to encourage Rachelle and all of us. Your letters, gifts, humor-awesome! Pray for one another that we won’t get weary in this encouragement.

*There is a meeting with all the players working with her case on the 19th.

*there continues to be increased “pins and needles” feeling in her fingers, feet and even some in her torso-they come and all too quickly go. Sensory vs motor perhaps, but something

5/29/24:

I don't know for whom I'm doing this update. We are suspended in time but it somehow keeps moving. I sang to the twins over the phone at their bedtime. Tonight was Audrey's orchestra concert and tomorrow is Wiler's band concert. Parents go to stuff like that, they take pictures and post about it-they run around crazy after work/school trying to make dinner and handle other kids and all the things that happen so you can get to a concert smiling with your instrument in the right shoes...I FaceTimed Audrey tonight to hear about it and their precious neighbor recorded every song for Rachelle and Raymond. They didn't have time to watch it, yet. Her schedule is full and tomorrow is somehow double full. Ray barely has time to glance at his phone. "Outcomes," "limitations," "toughing it out," ...phrases you don't anticipate saying in this season of your life. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is bright and open, and Rachelle has a view of Lake MI through the cityscape with a sunrise before 5:30am. Ray gets to stay with her. She's fighting hard-PT, OT, assessments, utility bands, tendodesis grasp and release...

Wanna write to her? Want to make the mail person roll their eyes but secretly wonder why this person gets so much mail? Maybe he/she will ask, and Ray or Rachelle can brag on the people carrying a corner of her stretcher before Jesus. Maybe they will get to tell the mail person about Jesus. Or maybe, she just needs to hear from you. Rachelle Williams, 355 E Erie St., Chicago, IL 60611 Audrey (their daughter who turns 12 in June) said what we all feel pretty well, "I'm happy that she is finally at the rehab place and happier because she gets to sit in a wheelchair and will get her trach out soon, but I'm sad because I still really miss her, so I'm happier and sadder all at the same time." PS. If you haven't prayed for Rachelle and all the peeps connected to this journey today, or begged God for a miracle-there is still time left in today-I double dog dare you to do it!

Rally for Rachelle

By Halo Fitness Experience

Rally for Rachelle