Rachel was injured while flying a powered paraglider in the desert during a trip to Egypt, where hazy conditions made it difficult to judge altitude, causing a hard, feet-first impact with the ground. The crash resulted in a spinal cord injury classified as an incomplete T11 injury, along with a fractured spine, a broken femur, a severely damaged ankle, and torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus in her right leg. While in Egypt, she underwent surgeries on her back, femur, and ankle before being medically evacuated to the United States, where most of the procedures had to be repeated. Her recovery was further complicated by a serious ankle infection that required multiple skin grafts and an extended stay in rehab until nearly February. After recently being cleared ot begin bearing weight for physical therapy, she is focused on continuing her recovery and returning to the outdoors.