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Like many people who experience a spinal cord injury, Jesi Stracham struggled after becoming paralyzed. From North Carolina, she was injured in 2015 when she was hit by a car while riding her motorcycle and felt life as she knew it was finished. “I genuinely believed my life was over. I didn’t know anyone in a wheelchair. I had zero reference for what life could look like with a spinal cord injury. I assumed it meant never being independent, never dating again, never living fully.”
And in her early twenties at the time of her injury, Jesi had a lot of life to live. “Before my injury, I was a full-blown adrenaline junkie and deeply lost. I masked a lot of unresolved pain with alcohol, pills, and sex—chasing highs that never healed the lows,” says Jesi. “I was running from myself, trying to fill a void I couldn’t name.”
The First Year
“When I was paralyzed at 22 after a motorcycle accident in Charlotte (T4; initially complete, now incomplete), it was like my whole world flipped. But in hindsight, it saved my life. It forced me to slow down and take a good, hard look in the mirror. I get into this deeply in my book Power in the Roll — how that accident, though traumatic, became the catalyst for my transformation.”
Jesi says that the first months post-injury were the hardest. “The first year was brutal. The physical adjustments were one thing, but the emotional work hit harder. Falling out of my chair and being stuck alone was a humbling—and terrifying—reality.” She also says the lack of sensation in her vagina was another major hurdle. “As someone who struggled with sex addiction pre-injury, I had to redefine intimacy and self-worth. I had to find who Jesi was beneath all the distractions—and learn to love that woman.”
During that first year, Jesi posted a raw and honest look at SCI life – a video of her struggling to get off the floor and back into her wheelchair after falling out, and it went viral, going on to get thousands of views. “It was a meltdown,” she says, but this moment of weakness was also one of the most important moments of her life.
The Power of Movement
The comments Jesi received from the video, as well as the feedback, showed her the platform she had and what she could do to change people’s perceptions of disability. And in 2017, she discovered adaptive CrossFit and quickly began to regain some of the strength she lost post-injury. Jesi also began to reclaim the confidence she lost. Discovering fitness was exactly what she needed at this time in her life.
“I discovered Adaptive CrossFit in 2017, and it completely changed everything. Fitness taught me how to fight for myself. I became hyper-aware of what I was putting in my body, how I was fueling my mind, and how those things translated into strength. It wasn’t just about looking fit—it was about reclaiming control. Fitness, paired with mindset and nutrition, helped me build the unshakable foundation I now stand on.”
Jesi has since competed in 15 Tough Mudders, including the 24-hour World’s Toughest Mudder four times, and the Adaptive CrossFit Games. “But the real win,” she says, “is how it’s shaped my character. Fitness gave me structure, purpose, and a sense of control in a body that felt foreign. I believe movement is medicine—especially when you’re rebuilding yourself.”
Adaptive Fitness App
After realizing the power adaptive fitness has on her and her life, Jesi wanted to share this knowledge with others with mobility challenges. “It’s why I co-created the Wheel With Me Adapt Fit app—to give other wheelchair users the tools I wish I had in the beginning.”
Jesi, along with Nikki Walsh, also a paraplegic and a fan of adaptive fitness, collaborated to develop their wheelchair fitness app, Wheel With Me Adapt Fit, one of the first apps made for wheelchair-users to workout. Wheel with Me is also a foundation to further help reach their goal of helping the SCI/disability community.
Wheel With Me Adapt Fit has several adaptive workouts including resistance band training and free weights. There’s also a support group, as well as a group workout and a book club to make it easier for users to connect. The app also has functional mobility exercises, floor/bed workouts, strength training, cardio, as well as workouts that are 10 minutes or less.
Back to Work
Another interesting fact about Jesi is that she was also a dental hygienist before her injury, and it was a job she wanted to get back to but wasn’t sure how after her injury. Fortunately she met Josh Basile, Esq., a C4-5 quadriplegic and the founder of SPINALpedia, while lobbying. “I met Josh in 2019 while lobbying in Washington, D.C. with the Trauma Centers Association of America. He mentioned that if I ever wanted to go back to work, to reach out”
“Fast forward to 2022, when I finally made that leap, Social Security was coming after me for wages from back then—and I was completely lost. I remembered Josh. He and Heather stepped in, advocated for me, and walked me through everything: ABLE accounts, Medicaid Buy-In programs, SSDI transitions. They made something that felt impossible feel totally doable.”
And with their help she was able to return to her previous job as a dental hygienist. “I went back to ortho in 2022 and worked there for about a year. But in 2023, I broke my spinal fusion in half and needed a second major surgery. After that, I knew it was time to pivot.”
Jesi approached Wellspect, where she had been a brand ambassador since 2018, and proposed a new role. “They created a position for me—which was empowering and validating. I now work with them remotely. On top of that, I run a (mindset and nutrition) coaching/guidance program, co-own Freedom Longevity and Wellness LKN, and lead Wheel With Me Adapt Fit. It’s a full plate, but it’s exactly what I was made for.” Some of the guidance Jesi offers is tips on living a full life after a traumatic injury.
She also went on to become an advocate for disability employment, wanting people with spinal cord injuries to live their best lives possible, and she knows employment helps make this happen. She wants people with spinal cord injuries to know that it can be worth it to go back to work despite any fears they may have.
“It’s 100% worth it. The fear is real—but so is the freedom that comes with taking control of your future. Going back to work gave me the ability to move out of my parents’ basement, pay off my car, and eventually buy into my own business. Financial freedom has been a game-changer in my confidence and independence. You deserve a life that’s not just surviving—but thriving.”
ideas@spinalpedia.com
