new beginnings

Life's biggest twists can lead us where we're meant to be. We've teamed up with Life's About Change (see page 30) to share its most inspiring change-makers.

- Sara Gaynes Levy

She's passionate about improving the lives of wheelchair users

Jesi Stracham, CHARLOTTE, NC

In 2015, Jesi was a passenger in a motorcycle accident and lost the use of her legs. Becoming a wheelchair user was challenging, to say the least. Jesi reached her breaking point one morning while traveling solo. "I fell on a hotel room floor, and I hit 'record' on my camera," she says. "Then I posted a YouTube video of me having a full meltdown about being paralyzed and how frustrating it is to fall and not be able to pick yourself back up." The video got some viral attention, and when a friend and fellow wheelchair user suggested that Jesi train one-on-one with a CrossFit coach, Jesi said, "Absolutely. I need to get stronger." The training changed her life. She started to see incredible results, like being able to transfer herself into the car without a slide board and get back into her chair on her own. She was so passionate about her newfound strength that she started a Facebook group, Wheel With Me Fitness, to create a space for others to talk about their fitness journeys. Soon Jesi was certified to coach adaptive CrossFit. Then she turned the group into an app, offering adaptive workouts as well as weekly support chats to wheelchair users worldwide. Jesi now views the day of her accident as far from a tragedy and in fact the best day of her life. She knows that sounds shocking, but that day gave her purpose. "Now I'm trying to help people shortcut to the good side of this injury," she says. "Because there's a good side of being a paraplegic, as crazy as that sounds." Wheel With Me Fitness is just the beginning, she adds: "It's so much more than fitness. It's about independence and maintaining that independence for the longevity of our lives."

Her son lives on through a wonderful nonprofit

Teresa Bovia, NEW ORLEANS