OKC Woman Runs Marathons After Horrific Accident

Rachel Foster is a runner, in fact she started running competitively in middle school. But in addition to being a runner, she’s also a fighter. 

Rachel and her husband John are the owners of Moni’s Pizza and Pasta in Edmond, and when she’s not cooking you can typically find her running.  

“It is very stress relieving and very joyful in my life and I just enjoy it so much,” said Rachel. 

She would typically run ten miles every morning, until the accident. 

“It was just a date night that night, I remember leaving the restaurant but the actual accident itself, I don’t remember,” said Rachel. 

They were riding their personal scooters when Rachel blacked out. 

“I basically took the entire brunt of the fall on my head and on the left side of my body. I broke seventeen bones,” said Rachel.  

When John caught up to his wife, she was unconscious and in a puddle of blood. 

“Yes, they did say that I had died, and it was mainly from head trauma,” said Rachel.  

“Severe catastrophic brain damage, even if her body heals, she’s not coming back,” said John Foster, Rachel’s husband. 

If she survived, she would be on a feeding tube and ventilator for the rest of her life. 

“It was the day before her organs were supposed to be donated and we were going to turn off the ventilator and she was going to pass away,” said John.  

Doctors had exhausted their efforts. 

“He turned off the ventilator, so it wasn’t breathing for me anymore,” said Rachel.  

In desperation John reacted. 

“Rachel, breathe,” said John.  

Miraculously she took one breath. 

“And then the doctor leaned over and said Rachel keep breathing,” said Rachel.  

In January, Rachel began physical therapy learning how to do everything, even walk. 

“I know this might sound crazy, but in the back of my mind I was still thinking, get me running,” said Rachel.  

She had one thing motivating her. 

“This was kind of a little secret between me and my husband, nobody else in the hospital knew that I had this thought of running a marathon,” said Rachel.  

On April 17th Rachel ran the Boston marathon 

“I wasn’t even walking a couple of months ago, much less running, so I just felt so grateful to just be in that spot,” said Rachel.  

Even though she was in good health before the accident, she credits her recovery as a miracle from God. She plans to write a book to encourage others to fight through their adversities as well.