Home / Success Stories / Ashley Cesar – From a Wheel Chair to being a #fitmom! Read this if you want to be inspired!

 

“Most of my life has been about rehabilitation… In 2004 I was in an accident that put me in a wheel chair for almost two years. I had to learn to do a lot of things again including how to walk. I had my last surgery due to my accident in 2010.

From 2009 until 2013 I dedicated my body to becoming a Mother something that was and is the best decision I have ever made but as any female will tell you for those few years your body just doesn’t seem like your own… Just as I was finally feeling like I was coming back into my now very changed body, I decided it was time to take it back as my own. A body I was proud of and I wanted to ensure I was the healthiest I could be for myself and my children…

You see no one on my mother’s side except one aunt has ever lived past the age of 47 years old. I wanted my fate to be different… Then came a lump followed by… Lots of appointments and the decision that even though the lump had gone away a Prophylactic Bilateral Mastectomy was in my best interest. On March 17th, 2015 I underwent a bilateral mastectomy followed by monthly uncomfortable appointments and finally reconstruction surgery in August 2015.

What most people don’t realize about this Surgery is the amount it changes you and the way you see yourself. As a woman you go through a grief process, a part of you has been cut off and will never be the same. It also becomes work every day to adjust and feel comfortable in your skin, ( posting this with pictures comes with a lot of gut wrenching and nervousness) your view on your body is just different. That’s when I decided to seek out a fitness company that would be understanding of my recovery, what I was looking for and support me with all my challenges (night shift as a nurse, teaching at the college during the day and a busy life of being a mom). Impact Nutrition was the only company that responded with such compassion and determination to help me achieve MY goals and assured me they could help me reach each of them even though I was newly post op and had a long road of healing ahead. Justin and Gen have been amazing and anything I have thrown at the both of them they’ve been able to change my plan to fit.

In September I joined for one month, I was at the heaviest I had ever been weighing 134lbs and instantly saw results even with the limited ability to do a lot. In one month I was down 20lbs and lost 3 inches off my waist.  I was also eating more then I have ever eaten in my life. Which I know helped with my recovery. Gen emailed me every week helping me with slight diet changes and cardio that worked for me. I explained to both Justin and Gen that I planned to take it on myself for the next few months, as I work really well on my own once I know what I’m doing.  I would then touch base and sign up again when I needed to perfect and change the plan that was set up for me. This is how I knew they honestly loved what they do and their clients instead of pressuring me to continue month to month they were 100% supportive and welcomed me back a few months later to help me perfect my results! I haven’t fully achieved my full fitness goal yet but know by this summer I will have and cannot thank Justin, Gen and their team for all of their guidance and support on my journey to owning my health, changing my fate and finally feeling comfortable in my body again. My Amazing husband and children now have a healthier mom back who’s going to be around for a really long time! Thank you will never truly be enough…”

Ashley Cesar (Busy Mom, Wife, Nurse, Instructor, and now Fitmom!)

Photos: Top Row: Some still in progress before and after comparisons; Bottom Row: (L) Active mom with her kids, (R) Fitmom on the beach

 
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