Bachelorette Party Prank Paralyzes Bride-To-Be, Health Insur needs prevent marriage

A former bride-to-be is now paralyzed and has put off plans to marry after a bachelorette party prank went terribly wrong.

Rachelle Friedman was paralyzed from the chest down after her best friend and bridesmaid pushed her into the shallow end of a pool. Friedman, 25, snapped her neck and floated to the surface.

While Friedman and her fiance, Chris Chapman, remain a couple, health insurance has kept the pair from tying the knot. Friedman's health insurance is limited and she must rely on medicaid to cover the cost of her care. Marrying Chapman would mean that their combined income would disqualify her from receiving government help.

The former aerobics and dance instructor told ABC that she always worried about an incident like this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/bride-paralyzed-bachelorette-party-prank-_n_784790.html

"We got home, ran upstairs and changed into our bathing suits," said Friedman. "My best friend -- and she still is my best friend -- she playfully pushed me in like we've done a million times."

"It was playful, but it went wrong," she said. "It was a freak accident." She hit her head on the bottom of the pool.

"I instantly went stiff and couldn't move," said Friedman. "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 9-1-1."

"I remember when they were pulling me out of the water I could see my legs below me but I couldn't feel the water on them," she said.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/bride-paralyzed-freak-bachelorette-party-accident/story?id=12163284

What a sad story all around!

What's to stop other people from getting the message that's okay to break your neck and paralyze yourself on the eve of your wedding? Thank the good lord above the Republicans are here to advocate for the insurance companies so that we don't have to endure a pandemic of paraplegic and quadriplegics being wheeled down the nation's church aisles. If you can wait just a minute, we'll have Michele Bachmann and Rand Paul along to explain it all.

:cry:

My heart breaks for her (them).

:grr:

If we had a truly comprehensive health care policy she could still get married.

they both have disabilities, and they can't get legally married because it would screw up their benefits. Good thing the family values conservatives are around to ensure the sanctity of their relationship. :sarcasm: