A woman in her 20s ‘Paralyzed from the waist down’,
Disabled due to a motorcycle accident
“My life drastically changed after the injury”
Jesi, from Charlotte, North Carolina, was involved in an accident with an SUV while riding on the back of a motorcycle at the age of 22.
“I went over the SUV, and the last thing I remember from the crash was the sound of metal crumbling,” Jesi said. “I woke up in the hospital a week later.”
The accident resulted in two broken vertebrae in her back, a collapsed chest, a punctured lung due to broken ribs, a scratched spine, traumatic brain injury, and she was resuscitated twice.
She also suffered paralysis around her T4 and T5 due to broken vertebrae at T4 and T7 and was diagnosed with paralysis in the lower half of her body.
But what Jesi found most difficult was the tracheostomy tube to assist her breathing. “It was like the movie Saw. The device that keeps your mouth wide open. That’s literally how I felt,” she said.
Losing not only the use of her legs, intestines, and bladder but also her voice, Jesi, who was mentally stressed, began learning how to use a wheelchair at the rehabilitation center.
“From then on, I started to realize that I could do it,” Jesi said, gaining new strength through physical rehabilitation and realizing that she wanted to educate and inspire others.
In 2017, she started developing an interest in fitness through adaptive CrossFit, spending a lot of time at the gym and even training various clients.
Now 31 years old, Jesi is currently working as a nutrition and mindset coach and a public speaker.
“I think I’ve been able to love my physical existence a bit more thanks to discovering the ability to love my soul,” Jesi said.
By. Seung Hee Joo
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