People describe Jodie Charbonneau with words like “tenacious ” and “independent.” She’s also hard-working and, after working with trainer Jamie Benoit Stec at the Macomb Y for the last several months, as physically strong as she is mentally tough.
That strength comes with physical challenges well beyond what most Y members deal with. Jodie has spina bifida, a congenital condition in which the spinal cord remains open. In addition to mobility issues — Jodie uses a wheelchair to get around and does not have sensation in her legs below the hips — there are a host of other health challenges that come with her condition. She says she’s had more surgeries than birthdays (she’s 35).
Jodie came to the Y because she wanted to get out of the house, lose some weight and meet some new people. She’s achieved all of those goals and then some. She began working out on her own and then met Jamie as part of the free training session all Y members get. They clicked instantly and Jodie began working with her to achieve her fitness goals.
“A lot of the stuff I do now I wouldn’t do when I started,” she says. “It’s amazing how much strength I have gained.”
A lot of Jamie’s work with Jodie involves exercises targeted at improving balance, core strength and arm and chest strength, which helps her continue to do activities of daily living like moving from her bed to her wheelchair, bathing, etc. When she started, she could barely do one pull-up….now she can crank out sets of 10, lifting herself out of her chair, with barely a strain. Similarly, she could not hold herself up on the BOSU (she had her tailbone removed several years ago, which makes it difficult to sit unsupported) when she started; now she can sit straight and even do other exercises while balancing. 
She’s always been independent, Jodie says. Growing up, her sisters (she’s the youngest of four biological siblings and has two younger adoptive sisters) would throw her in the pool so she’d be confident she could help herself. “My parents didn’t take it easy on me,” she says, and as a result she;s grown into a fiercely independent person. “I was brought up to try it yourself first and if you can’t do it, then ask for help,” she says.
She says she liked working with Jamie because she’ll push her to try new things, and because it’s a lot more fun than the workouts she does on her own. “Our hour just flies by,” she says.
Also, the Y has equipment ready that can be used by people with limited mobility, since they partner with the DMC’s physical therapy program. Jamie had some experience working with people with disabilities, so the match with Jodie’s needs was ideal.
Jodie says her goal is to keep building on the gains she’s made. “I just really want to continue with Jamie,” she says.