Rachel Meredith Hitch ¹

MADISON - Rachel Meredith Hitch, 41, of Madison, died May 5, 2008, at Meriter Hospital after a long illness. Rachel was born Jan.2, 1967, in Ypsilanti, Mich. with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a conditionoften called 'brittle bones.' This presented challenges for Rachel,but she managed to live an exceptional life in the face of these challenges.From an early age she learned how to live in an environment that wasnatural for Rachel though she endured many broken bones.Her familymoved to Madison in 1971, and Rachel was schooled at Lapham ElementarySchool, and was the poster child for Easter Seals in 1976. She graduatedfrom Memorial High School in 1985. Rachel had a role in the school playher senior year performing with a fracture (It was a bad joke to tellRachel to 'break a leg'). She went on to attend the Universityof Wisconsin and was a guest lecturer in the Women Studies programs.She advised the university on a task force to help bring more accessibilityto the Madison campus. Rachel was a talented writer and published authorof children' s stories. She studied American Sign Language andused this skill to aid parent-teacher communications. During and after college, Rachel lived on her own, usually in downtown Madison whereshe could be close to State Street and her favorite coffee shops. Shemoved to San Francisco for a time, but returned to Madison for healthreasons. Rachel loved to travel and accompanied her father on many tripsto Asia and Europe. She learned a great deal about accessibility inthe world' s business centers. Rachel is survived by her father,Lawrence J. Hitch of Madison; and her mother, Sandra L. Christensen(and James L. Christensen) of Madison. She is survived by her brother.Lawrence J. Hitch Jr. (and Lisa Petros) of Madison; her sister, HilaryA. Christensen (and David T. Peng) of Middleton; and her brother, LeeJ. Christensen (and Laura Richards) of Madison. Also, she is survivedby her nephews, Damian Petros of Madison and Theron and Brannic Pengof Middleton. We will all miss Rachel deeply, as will her countlessfriends here in the Madison area, San Francisco, and other parts of the country. We wish to extend our thanks to Dr.Bernard Micke, whowas Rachel' s doctor, friend, and confidant for more than 30 years,and to the staff at Meriter that became well acquainted with her overthe last few years, and provided her with such wonderful care. We arealso grateful to Rachel' s many caretakers. A Celebration of Lifememorial is planned for June 1, 2008, at RENNEBOHM PARK, 115 N. EauClaire Ave., Madison, starting at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers or gifts,donations can be made in Rachel' s name to the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation, PO Box 630342, Baltimore, MD 21263-0342. Rachel had a favorite saying that we think says so much about her 'Magic Happens'.