Jesse

My name is Jesse. I broke my back on October 4, 1997, at the Southwick, Massachusetts, outdoor national track. I was 16 years old.

I had raced motocross since I was eight and had been around motors since I was born. After my injury, I rode four-wheelers and Argos. I also got back on motorcycles, riding two different street bikes: a GSX-R750 and then a Yamaha R1.

I later discovered a love for horses that pull weight. I used that knowledge to train German Shepherds to pull my wheelchair. I enjoy going to county fairs, and the dogs would pull me around to different areas of the grounds. Pushing a wheelchair over long distances isn’t easy, and even though I am very strong, the dogs really did help.

After 24 years in a wheelchair, I began trying to design an electric wheel that could pull me along. I worked with fabricators and my local bike shop, but the cost was climbing toward $5,000.

Then I saw a picture of a professional motocross athlete who had been paralyzed and was using the exact type of device I was trying to make. I contacted another professional motocross racer who knew him, and he gave me his number. After speaking with him, he directed me to another professional motocross athlete who also uses a wheelchair and was involved with Road 2 Recovery.

He worked at U2 Mobility and was very willing to help me get into a Companion. To this day, the team there continues to help with any of my needs and works closely with Cheelcare.

I received my Companion in the spring of 2021, and it was life-changing.

I live on a mountain at an elevation of 1,100 feet that climbs to roughly 1,300 feet at its peak. Below me is a papier-mâché museum filled with papier-mâché puppets—the largest in the country, if not the world.

For years, I lived so close to something so great, yet the only way to get there was to get into my vehicle and drive half a mile down the road. I attempted the trip only once with my best pulling dog. The entire way home was uphill, and it took everything both of us had to make it back.

Then I added the Companion, and I was free to come and go as I pleased, travelling as far down the hill as I wanted and back again.

It’s a great unit for taking my dog on walks, which I did every morning for two miles. I still had plenty of battery left in the afternoon to cruise down the road for my own enjoyment. I love being able to get out, get away from the house and feel the wind on my face while still using my wheelchair.

I have a three-wheel mobility scooter that I have used in the past and still use to trim my grass. The problem with one of those is that once you get stuck, you’re stuck. With the Companion, you can’t really get stuck. I’ve never had it spin to the point where I couldn’t move through the grass because I can use my wheelchair wheels to push and help the electric wheel move forward.

If I ever did get stuck, I could simply unhook the unit, put it on my lap and wheelie out of the situation.

Everywhere I go, I tell people how much this piece of equipment has changed my life for the better. They don’t realize how quickly I can move in my wheelchair until I unhook the Companion and show them, or reconnect it and demonstrate how quickly I can become powered again.

I can use it on grass, pavement, hills and dirt, making travel across almost any terrain a breeze compared with conventional wheeling.

I can even go to my nearest town, which is three miles downhill. I had made that trip a couple of times in my manual chair and once in an electric chair after a serious car accident, but I could never make it back home uphill.

Last year and again this year, I made it to town for Glover Day and back home. It was an incredible experience and a goal achieved.

I have explored trails designed for people with disabilities and tested parks to make sure they are accessible. I have ridden down slides designed for people sitting on burlap bags, ridden on a bike wall using centrifugal force and attended countless fairs where I could explore the entire grounds instead of being limited to certain areas.

I love taking the Companion to places where I once struggled to get around. The difference is night and day, and the experience is so much more enjoyable.

Everybody who uses a wheelchair knows how hard it is to get a plate of food at a barbecue and wheel it back to a table on your lap without dropping it or spilling it on your clothes. Now, picture not only carrying the food but also holding a drink in one hand while operating the throttle and moving effortlessly across the ground to wherever you want to go.

When I move alongside somebody, I no longer feel paralyzed as I push to keep up. I can travel at the same pace, look at them while we talk and even hold hands if I want to. What a great feeling!

I’ve probably put 1,000 miles on my original unit over the past five years. The only work it ever needed was a new throttle and a tire change.

I was planning to buy another Companion this spring so I could take it to other wheelchair users, connect it to their chairs and show them how great it is. I was disappointed to learn that I could no longer buy directly through the company because the Companion now had an insurance code.

I went through the process of meeting with my occupational therapist and doctor and having all the paperwork submitted to insurance. I was absolutely blown away by how fast the process was. I am used to waiting three to six months for a cushion, so I figured it would be midwinter before I received a new unit, if I was approved at all.

I started the process at the beginning of July and had my new Companion by the end of the month.

I now have the advantage of being able to compare the two models. I really love the old one, and I also really love the new one.

The anti-slip tire on the new model really helps when going up dirt hills. It doesn’t spin out like the old style and climbs much better. The larger front tire makes bumps smoother and obstacles easier to navigate. As a former motocross racer, I also enjoy the three-inch-rise handlebars because they make me feel like I’m back on a bike.

I still plan to connect with people and help them get into a Companion. Now, I just have to coach them through the insurance process, which is not difficult at all.

Whether it’s for work or play, this machine has made my life 1,000 times better. I can pick it up, put it on my lap, place it in my vehicle, pull it back out, connect it and away I go.

If I ever need to ask for a push up a really big hill, I can assist the person behind me by using the powered tire. It also makes steering while they push much easier than if I were only using my wheelchair and had to drag one wheel to steer in that direction.

It literally makes everything better.

I haven’t seen any other piece of equipment that seems to equal the Companion. The bracket is hidden underneath the wheelchair, with nothing attached to the sides or front of the chair. There is simply a connector tube that hooks into the bracket and then connects to the machine. It is totally awesome.

I am so thankful that I found Cheelcare and the Companion. It makes me look forward to the next 25 years because the possibilities are endless.

I can personally say that it has made my life in a wheelchair much easier and much more fun. Don’t think that just because you’re strong and can wheel a long distance, you don’t need this piece of equipment. It can help protect your body and support your mental well-being.

I feel very blessed to have not only one but two of these awesome units. Hopefully, I can help more people get into them and change their lives as much as the Companion has changed mine.

Thank you, Cheelcare.