Support pours in for Olympia woman who lost her leg while volunteering in Indonesia

Rachel Taylor of Olympia was volunteering in Indonesia when her life changed forever.

Taylor, 33, was helping rebuild homes damaged by earthquakes that struck the island of Lombok in August when a wall fell on her, shattering her left leg so badly it had to be amputated.

Now back home, the woman who goes by “Rocky” said she is humbled by the support she’s received from all over the world as she recovers and contemplates her future. Taylor told The Olympian last week she should be homeless because of mounting bills.

“Really was profound to see support coming in from all over. There have been people from South Africa, Germany, Malaysia, Indonesia, Spain, England, Guatemala,” Taylor said.

Taylor, who grew up in Vancouver, Washington, arrived in Olympia in 2008 to attend The Evergreen State College, where she studied urban planning for three years. She became involved in regional theater, working at Harlequin Productions in Olympia as a stage hand.

But over the past decade, Taylor also has spent more than 5,000 hours volunteering in nine countries with the non-governmental organization All Hands and Hearts. Olympia has been her home base since she began traveling and volunteering.

It was Sept. 13 when her life was turned upside-down. The initial moments are murky for Taylor, who suffered mild amnesia due to shock.

Her boyfriend, Dan Hagelberg, who lived on the island of Java in Indonesia until he was 12, was volunteering in Lombok too, but he wasn’t present when Taylor was injured. He said he received a phone call from a fellow volunteer letting him know Taylor was hurt, but the caller offered no details.

It wasn’t until Hagelberg arrived at the makeshift hospital in the village of Kapu Jenggala on Lombok that he realized the seriousness of the situation.

“That scene was pretty intense,” Hagelberg said. “I walked in and Rocky was there, lying down in a lot of shock, and her leg had been crushed, so it was wide open.”

Hagelberg knew Taylor needed help desperately.

“I went straight to her side and started counting from 1 to 100, and then we’d start over again. And it was all she could do to keep her from screaming, and keep her focused,” he said.

Immediate surgery was needed, but the hospital in Kapu Jenggala didn’t have the proper resources. An hour ride in an ambulance on winding roads in a suspension-less vehicle to Lombok’s capital city, Mataram, followed.

More counting from 1 to 100.

About 11 hours after Taylor was injured, she was finally in surgery in Mataram.

More surgeries were required, but the hospital in Mataram was unable to complete them. Taylor was airlifted to a hospital in Singapore on Sept. 15. Multiple surgeries followed, seven in all. Most were debridements, which is the removal of damaged tissue.

In the end, her left leg was too badly mangled to save. So doctors removed a portion of her left leg just below the kneecap.

Taylor had one more surgery after returning to the United States in mid-October, bringing the total to nine, according to Hagelberg.

“I think nobody ever expects it to happen to them,” Taylor said. “And I certainly didn’t. Some days I feel almost normal, and some days I’m overwhelmed trying to even wrap my mind around what I lost.

“I’ve spent so much of the last decade being so independent and traveling. We don’t know what my physical limitations are going to be yet. I have love and support from my community, and that makes some days OK. And some days are still just devastating.”

Taylor said her family has been extremely supportive during her recovery. Her parents, Melody and Joe, and her sister, Olivia, have been by her side constantly.

But navigating the health care system has been an ordeal for Taylor, who is on Medicaid.

The first weeks back in the United States were “nightmarish” trying to get medical care figured out, she said. Taylor now is at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The next item on Taylor’s checklist is to be deemed medically fit to wear a prosthetic. The prosthetic comes at a hefty cost — anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 — and will have to be replaced over the years due to wear and tear, according to the Hospital for Special Surgery.

But a widespread effort, orchestrated by the disaster-relief community in Olympia and local dance group Blues Fusion Dancing, is providing Taylor with support.

To assist with her medical bills and future expenses, a GoFundMe has been created. As of Dec. 29, 506 people had raised $50,060 in 18 days. The campaign’s goal is $75,000.

“We’re just really humbled by the attention that it got,” Taylor said. “A salsa school that I went to in Guatemala are all sharing it and supporting me.

“That has been a really incredible relief to know that I can breathe and process and be sad and figure out my future without also facing the stress of not being able to work or go back to my profession or not knowing how I’m going to meet my basic needs.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2018 at 2:51 PM.