Last updated on January 17th, 2025

Rachelle Williams: A CrossFit Athlete’s Journey After a Devastating Injury

After finding CrossFit 703 in Burke, VA, two years ago, Rachelle Williams said she “basically never left.”

The gym quickly became the 42-year-old retired U.S. Air Force member’s second home, and she became obsessed with the progress she was making.

But then, on April 24, 2024, while snatching a weight that wasn’t “amazingly impressive,” Williams dropped the weight on her head and broke her neck.

Williams underwent a spinal fusion and spent a month in the hospital, but the damage was considerable. Today, Williams is a quadriplegic with limited use of her arms and no use of her hands.

• “The injury is considered incomplete, which means I still have sensory feeling in the majority of my body, but I don’t have motor control,” she explained.

Eight months later, Williams, a mother of four young children, including twins, admits it has been incredibly difficult to cope.

What has saved her has been her faith in Jesus and her support system, including the CrossFit 703 community.

When the accident happened, Williams’ husband was out of town with the U.S. National Guard, so members from the gym looked after her kids, started a meal train, hosted a charity workout for Williams, and immediately started raising money for the medical bills she was about to incur.

In the following weeks, the CrossFit 703 community raised more than $70,000 for Williams and her family, and there is an ongoing donation drive as Williams’ expenses continue to build.

Nobody would blame Williams for being angry at CrossFit or angry at her gym, but she is not.

• “I’m not angry. I have some regrets, but it’s nobody’s fault. It was really just a tragic accident, and I’m so thankful for how the community immediately started helping,” she said.

Today, they continue to help, Williams said, adding that at least one person from the gym checks in on her every single day.

Williams hasn’t managed to visit the gym since her accident, saying she “doesn’t know when I’ll be ready to, but I think about it a lot.” Still, she remains an avid proponent of CrossFit.

• “I hate this for CrossFit. I hate that I’m a statistic. It’s still mind-boggling to me how this happened, and it breaks my heart for CrossFit. I want people to do CrossFit and go to the gym and have the same joy I did,” she said.

She added: “I miss my old life more than anything. I miss being there every day, uplifting each other. It’s so vital to your life and your mental health. That’s what I miss most.”

Conclusion

The community at CrossFit 703 is devastated at what she’s going through and certainly misses her, too.

• “She has never met anyone she wasn’t kind and inviting to, and she has the most positive attitude and love of life,” Sara Dyson, the gym’s General Manager, said of Williams.

And even though it’s hard to imagine going back just yet, Williams is staying positive. Positive about being able to train again one day in one capacity or another, and positive that she will be able to recover and walk again.

• “Nobody says I won’t be able to walk again, so I believe I can,” she said.

More CrossFit Stories