A chef completed the Boston Marathon just months after she was taken off life support after a horrific e-bike accident.
Rachel Foster, 35, flew across the finish line alongside her running partner, Tim Altendorf, 66, in the race on Monday thrilled with her impressive achievement and running the race in a best of five hours, 44 minutes and 46 seconds.
Only five months had passed when the restaurateur, who co-owns a popular Italian restaurant in Oklahoma, fell off her e-bike in November, in what was supposed to be a fun activity with her husband.
The fall was so catastrophic that she suffered a traumatic brain injury and fell into a coma that saw her in the intensive care unit for 10 days at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. The doctors said that if she survived, her life would never be the same again.
But after solid rehab and Foster’s unwavering spirit, who still faces a long road to a full recovery, she’s beaten the odds and ran her 10th marathon this week.
‘I feel so lucky and blessed,’ she said. Boston Globe. I feel invincible. I think it was a miracle. Miracle things happen and happen every day.
Rachel Foster, 35, an avid runner and co-owner of a popular Italian restaurant, suffered a traumatic brain injury when she fell from her electric scooter and was on the verge of death when she miraculously overcame the odds.
Even though the doctors told Foster and her family that if she made it through her life she would never be the same, Foster seemed to prove them wrong. In the photos, she is in rehab and learning how to walk again after major brain surgery
Rachel Foster, 35, flew across the finish line alongside her running partner, Tim Altendorf, 66, at the Boston Marathon on Monday thrilled with her impressive feat and ran the race in a record time — five hours, 44 minutes and 46 seconds, while continuing . Even her medal
Prior to the accident, Foster was an avid runner who had run nine marathons.
Her most recent marathon was in the spring of 2022 when she ran the Oklahoma City Marathon.
Foster’s time was so impressive—running it in 3 hours, 17 minutes, and 15 seconds—that she easily qualified for the Boston race.
On the night of the accident, she and her husband, John, were riding their electric scooter around the nieghborhood, whProjectSyndicate en She is believed to have fainted and lost control of the motorized scooter which was spinning out of control.
Within seconds, Foster’s head hit the pavement. She was taken to the hospital and the doctors said she had broken 17 bones and was injuredTraumatic brain injury. She had to undergo emergency surgery as doctors had to remove half of her skull.
After the surgery, she was in a coma in the hospital’s intensive care unit for ten days. Foster showed no signs of brain activity or any signs of improvement.
John remembers the doctors telling the family a grim prognosis telling them that if she survived, her life would never be the same. A vulnerable tube, respirator, and 24/7 care will be required.
That was when the family made the decision to take her off life support, until a miracle happened and Foster’s eyes were opened.
“We were afraid,” John recalled.
It’s an impossible thing to happen, but I so badly wanted it to happen and hoped it would, and when it did, I wasn’t surprised. I was relieved.
Foster was in a coma for 10 days in the hospital’s intensive care unit, showing no signs of brain activity or any signs of improvement before her eyes miraculously opened.
Rachel Foster and her husband, John
Foster and her running partner Tim Altendorf hold the race numbers
Once she was able to take commands and breathe on her own, the ventilator was removed, completely surprising the neurosurgeon, nurses, and medical team.
Foster’s husband said it was “a miracle” by one of the doctors.
He told him, in part, “I have done nothing and nothing my team has done that would have caused a result like this.”
Foster who had suffered some memory loss and was feeling disoriented and disoriented. After a successful surgery, she embarked on a rigorous rehabilitation program. She was determined to pursue her passion and run again.
I felt no one could take this from me. All I have to do is put on some shoes, and I’m going,”
One of the doctors at the hospital, the director of emergency medicine, used a Star Trek reference to describe Foster’s remarkable recovery, telling the couple, ‘IIf people were spaceships, Rachel was traveling at warp speed,” the Boston Globe reported.
I wanted it so much. Running has always been a passion of mine. “I knew I was in rough shape,” Foster said.
I knew my body was going through this crazy incident, but I didn’t know how widespread it was.
During her rehabilitation, she was learning how to stand, maintain her balance, and walk – even the smallest movements required tremendous effort, but Foster was able to overcome the pain.
From the end of January to the end of March, Foster continued rehabilitative therapy in an outpatient facility.
She said her husband inspired her to keep going and was her cheerleading team.
You’re almost done. You got it. Go! Go! Go. Being strong, he was going to tell her, Foster said, because she referred to him as “my knight in shining armour.”
On Monday, that resilience and drive helped Foster run his 127th Boston Marathon.
