The Relief of Feeling Heard

Rachael Welch, 48, works from home in Decatur, Tennessee. Home is a camper sitting on 100 acres, once a timber farm. During their 27-year marriage, she and her husband, Chris, have raised three biological children and cared for 12 more as foster parents. They are building a house, and in the meantime, are living in the camper. One of their sons, now an adult, lives on the same plot of land, and they hope that one day all three of their kids will build houses there. They also have what Rachael calls a “menagerie” of three Nigerian dwarf goats, two dogs, and one tough chicken.

“Miss Mary Poopins is a survivor. We've had her many years,” Rachael says. “This chicken has been through it. She runs everyone.”

You might say that Rachael has also “been through it.”

In 2021, she was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, chondroblastic osteosarcoma. Her treatment included chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove a tumor and half of her pelvis, replacing the bone with a 3D-printed titanium pelvis.

After surgery, she participated in inpatient rehab close to home.

“I was there for two weeks and just basically learning how to live in a wheelchair because I was non-weight bearing for about a year,” she says.

She continued with outpatient physical therapy and moved from using a wheelchair to using a walker. Now, she sometimes walks with a walker, sometimes with a cane. Even though her mobility has improved significantly, she continues to experience complex pain.

“A lot of neuropathy down my left leg, specifically. And I was doing pain management in Chattanooga. They were doing as best they could for me, but it was just they never could really get it completely under control.”

Researching New Options

A friend of Rachael’s husband had sustained back injuries during her military career and told them about Shepherd Center.

“We started doing some research,” Rachael says. “She had told us just what an incredible game changer it was for her.”

After learning more about the Dean Stroud Spine and Pain Institute at Shepherd Center, Rachael became a patient there in early 2025. She says Shepherd Center felt different.

“I really felt like I was listened to,” she explains. “It's never felt like I'm being looked at as someone seeking pain meds or like I'm being judged for why I'm there. I feel like there's such a warmth and a respect for what people are experiencing.”

The expertise of Shepherd’s staff, coupled with their attention to Rachael’s needs and goals, led to improvements in her pain management.

“Immediately, the doctor saw where we could make some changes to my pain medication … I've been able to come off of a lot of the opioid oral medications that I've been on … We've been able to make a lot of changes, and that's given me a better quality of life,” she says.

Rachael’s care team also suggested she try a spinal cord stimulator, a surgically implanted device that she says has been very helpful in managing her nerve pain and neuropathy.

And, they recommended she visit Shepherd’s pain therapist to address some of the emotional toll of the cancer diagnosis and the pain.

“I didn't even know [pain therapists] existed,” Rachael says. “So, I started seeing her right away. And it was just such an incredible opportunity to work through a lot of these things that I've not unpacked in my life. I never really had the time to grieve that I got sick … that pain, you know, sits within your body. And I didn't recognize all the connections from pain in my body interconnected with my brain. So she really helped me to release a lot of that and taught me many different techniques that I can [use to] help regulate my body.”

Now, Rachael comes to the Pain Institute once a month for treatment. She and Chris turn the trips to Atlanta for her appointments into “day dates,” tacking on lunch or dinner at different restaurants they want to try. She says they feel the hope in the halls at Shepherd Center, and she looks forward to her visits.

“I feel like I'm a friend there amongst people. I know the individuals, I see their faces there, everyone is welcoming and saying ‘Hello,’ and ‘How can I help?’”

Rachael encourages others who are experiencing chronic pain to advocate for themselves, do their research, and seek out care if they feel they have run out of options. She also says having Chris as a care partner, someone who can advocate for her when she can’t advocate for herself, has been a big part of her journey.

“And then lastly, but most importantly,” she says, “has been my faith, … my faith in the Lord has been something that has allowed me to continue to have hope and encouragement, and that pain can be pain, but life can be beautiful in the midst of it all. And that, you know, you have bad days and good days, but you have to look for the good every day as well.”

And although she’s still learning to live with some limitations, she finds the good in being able to manage her pain enough to work full-time, be a mom and a wife, travel, and do other things she enjoys, including enjoying life on their plot of land.

“That's the dream, live on the land, have a little farm, start doing things like making sourdough bread, and have a little farm stand. Who knows?”

Written by Ruth Underwood