Survivor

On February 6, 2017, Lorraine "Rain" Stippec was shot in the back 8 times while sitting in a car with a St. Louis Fire Captain. With a 5% chance of survival, Rain underwent uncountable surgeries and procedures from her injuries. Along with spinal fractures at L3 and L5, doctors removed her left kidney, her spleen, approximately 20ft of small intestine, and ⅓ of her pancreas. There were holes in her stomach, liver, colon, and bowel and her right ureter was split in half. 
Early on in Rain's recovery, doctors were uncertain as to whether she would be able to eat or drink ever again - much less walk and dance. With a dialysis port, an ileostomy bag, a feeding tube, a g-tube, and 7 additional jp drains, Rain pushed forward. Thanks to the constant support and encouragement from friends, family, and the community, she began to heal. Her surgeons had deemed her, "woman of steel".
Aside from some residual nerve damage in her left leg (#tricklegRain), and the fact that her torso is riddled with scars, you would never know the struggle this survivor overcame by taking it one second, one minute, one hour, one day at a time.
Rain celebrates her life day every year since the shooting with the coined phrase, "Rainaissance Day".

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After much physical therapy, and even more patience, Rain is finally back to teaching and choreographing and has had the joy and pleasure of sharing her story with audiences around the world appearing on numerous news and radio station interviews, medical journals and conferences, podcasts, including The CW Network's "My CW Story" series with over 100k views and Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith which, to date, has received over 4 Million views. While spending time helping to heal the community through volunteer work centered around sharing her inspiring story with organizations based in St. Louis, Missouri, she is also working on her first book launch, a docuseries, and a dance-focused short film. Rain’s zest for life is unmatched and the exuberant enthusiasm she brings to a room will forever change your point of view on how to persevere through life’s constant challenges.