Life can change in an instant and on June 18, 2020, Heidi Wachtel experienced just that.
Wachtel, a Michigan native, was playing on a trampoline in rural Nebraska when the unexpected happened. While doing a backflip, Wachtel was launched from the trampoline to the ground due to an open zipper on the net. The back of Wachtel’s head took the brunt of the impact while the rest of her body folded in half on top of her.
“The second I hit the ground I knew something was wrong,” Wachtel said.
A survival flight transported her to a trauma center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Although Wachtel initially had some movement and sensation, it was very diminished. Her medical team thought that once the swelling reduced, she would be fine. Unfortunately, due to the unknowns with Covid, which was still very new, both fear and protocol changes led to a misdiagnosis. The extent of her injury was missed until it was too late to reverse. The last thing to become paralyzed was her diaphragm.
Wachtel doesn’t remember much about the next week as she was in ICU and heavily medicated, but her husband was the one to get the message that she was a complete tetraplegic and had less than a 3% chance of ever moving anything below her neck again. The news was devastating.
HOLDING ON TO HOPE AND HEALING
She spent the next four months in the hospital. At the time of being discharged, Wachtel had a little movement in her shoulders and head, but nothing else. Upon her arrival at home, the family dynamic shifted drastically as she had always been the caregiver but was now the one needing to be cared for.
“Humbled is an understatement when you have to be dressed, showered and carried around like an infant in an adult body,” Wachtel said.
Pre-accident, Wachtel was a fast-paced, career-driven, motivated athlete. She and her husband have three boys, which meant lots of adventures as they were growing up. They loved traveling, backpacking, camping, skiing, racing and enjoyed sports together.
Professionally, Wachtel was a firefighter and critical care paramedic. As difficult as the job could be, serving others gave her purpose every day.
“Having the responsibility of taking someone’s worst day and making it better drove me to work harder in my career,” Wachtel said.
In addition to the activities with her family and her profession, Wachtel also loved running. She was a former DI cross country athlete and after college, she continued to compete in marathons as her schedule allowed.
“Running was my kryptonite and was one of the things everyone knew me for,” Wachtel said. “It’s a sport that forces mental toughness beyond what the mind thinks it can do and pushing myself as far as possible has always been something I strove for.”
The mental toughness that was developed in Wachtel through her life experiences up to the point of the accident has clearly been a huge asset, post-accident.
“I had moments of wanting to quit, to not be a lifeless nobody in a chair,” Wachtel said, “but crying out to my Heavenly Father to take me home was the beginning of me learning how to fight again.”
COMMITMENT TO HEALTH AND STRENGTH
Wachtel made a commitment to herself to stay strong and began looking for treatment options. She knew she had to follow what felt right for her and that looked like something unconventional. In her search for out-of-the-box spinal cord rehabilitation centers, she ran across Project Walk based out of Houston, Texas, and that discovery was exactly what she needed to get her fight moving in the right direction. Progress was made in just a few weeks and Wachtel was hopeful.
“Doctors say after the first 12-18 months, what you have is all you’ll get back, but I chose not to listen to that. I decided I would fight until my Creator said I was whole again,” Wachtel said.
Because Project Walk was such a good fit, Wachtel and her husband, Braden, decided to see if he could transfer to a job in the Houston area so they could relocate. Unfortunately, his job search in Houston was unsuccessful, but he was offered an opportunity at Refuge Ranch in Tuscola. Although not what they were initially expecting or hoping for, the Wachtel’s went forward with the move and landed in Abilene.
That was three and a half years ago, and they have never looked back.
Abilene is short on options for spinal cord rehab, so Wachtel did research to find the right fit. She stumbled upon The Fieldhouse gym, a fitness facility with no therapy services. It was going to be unconventional due to the lack of experience in dealing with spinal cord injuries, but since strength was the main goal, Wachtel was determined to make it work.
Wachtel has now gone to The Fieldhouse five days a week for more than three years working with Rob Alaniz, the current owner and head trainer. Since she and Alaniz began training, Wachtel has regained function in her arms, some in her hands and is almost completely independent. She is also gaining movement in her legs and core and can stand for short periods. Alaniz’s encouragement and assistance, along with the environment around her, has given Wachtel her place to belong.
“Not only have I gotten stronger, I found a place where I fit in,” Wachtel said. “At the gym, I am loved and accepted by so many people, and I get to be just plain Heidi, not the girl in a chair.”
ONCE AN ATHLETE, ALWAYS AN ATHLETE
Another step towards feeling like herself again has been the integration of sports back into her life. Although it looks different from a wheelchair, participating in paratriathlons, 5k’s, cycling and other sports have enabled Wachtel to have some of her freedom back. One of her favorite connections in the sports realm has been the community she found in the Abilene Women’s Cycling Connection. Her cycling friends have nicknamed her “Unstoppable” because they quickly realized when she puts her mind to something, she does it.
“We have had adventures, laughs and sometimes tears, but I am a better person every day because of these ladies,” Wachtel said.
And the ladies feel the same way. Deonna Shake is Wachtel’s good friend and a member of the cycling club. She is grateful that she and Wachtel crossed paths.
“Everyone needs a Heidi Wachtel in their circle. She makes those around her better in so many areas of life,” Shake said. “Her drive, commitment, competitive spirit, confidence, poise, faith and outlook on life are both inspiring and contagious.”
And while Wachtel has found acceptance and friendships through the gym and cycling, there is still the mental battle of trying to figure out who she is now and how to integrate that into society.
“Going from a dream career as a firefighter to being trapped helplessly in my own body required more strength than I felt I had,” Wachtel said. “With the encouragement of my friends and family, I decided to go back to school.”
Despite the challenges with writing and typing, among other things, Wachtel will graduate with a 4.0 and obtaina bachelor’s degree in social work with a sports focus from Abilene Christian University in May of this year. Next May, she will complete her Master’s degree. She has a goal of standing to receive her diploma at that time and for Wachtel, that will be the ultimate triumph.
TURNING TRAGEDY INTO OPPORTUNITY
Recently, she also started a nonprofit, Greater Than Three Outreach, with the mission being to bring adaptive sports and rehabilitation to those in Abilene affected by spinal cord or limb loss injuries. Her husband has watched this all unfold, and it’s no surprise to him that she has accomplished all that she has.
“First and foremost, Heidi has an indomitable spirit. I’ve never seen her shy away from any of the challenges that have come her way,” Braden said. “I love how she has turned the tragedy she experienced into the opportunity to help other people. It’s just another example of how caring of a person she is.”
For Wachtel, being known as an inspiration is hard to grasp.
“In my mind, I haven’t done anything extraordinary to receive that title,” Wachtel said. “The ones that are an inspiration are my kids who still love me broken or whole, my husband who selflessly gives to be sure I succeed, my friends who choose to see me and not my chair and my friend and trainer, Rob Alaniz, who has given me his time every day for three and a half years to help me get stronger and remind me that I am still worth fighting for.”
Wachtel is thankful for opportunities to share her story and bring hope to others about what truly defines a person, and she knows there is still more to come.
“It took a life-changing accident for me to see that it is not my career or accomplishments that give me my worth, it is my Father in Heaven,” Wachtel said. “This is my story to write and my choice to decide how each chapter will end. I don’t know if I will ever walk again but I have resigned my heart to praising my Lord if I do and praising Him if I don’t while he continues to use me for His purpose.”
By Nicole Fletcher
Photos By Shayli Anne Photography
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