Kristasha 'Stasha' Chey: Rising Above Adversity
- Rashouna Harris
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Strength isn’t measured by the battles you avoid; it’s measured by the courage you show every time you rise again. Some people spend their lives waiting for the perfect moment to begin living, and others decide that every day is worth living to the fullest.
At 34, Stasha is an incredible wife, a devoted mother to her 3-year-old daughter, and one of the strongest women I’ve ever coached, says Rashouna Harris, owner of Champs Fit Den.
Since childhood, she has lived with sickle cell anemia—a disease that has challenged her in ways most of us could never imagine.
When she was young, doctors prepared her family for the possibility that she might never reach adulthood or live beyond her teenage years. Becoming a wife, becoming a mother, and watching her daughter grow were dreams many believed she might never experience. Yet here she is—defying expectations, statistics, and limits. That doesn’t mean the battle is over. Sickle cell doesn’t take days off. It brings unexpected pain crises, hospital stays, setbacks, exhaustion, and moments that could easily convince someone to stop fighting.
But not Stasha. Instead, she chose to reclaim the life she was told she might never have.
Every single day she chooses faith over fear. She begins with God, grounding herself in prayer and meditation before facing whatever the day may bring.
And when she walked through the doors of Champs Fit Den before it officially opened, she made another commitment—to fight for every piece of health that was within her control.
Three days a week, she shows up. She trusts the process. She embraces each workout, each nutritional adjustment, and each challenge before her—not because it’s easy, but because her life is worth fighting for.
Has she had setbacks? Absolutely. There have been days when her illness forced her into the hospital instead of the gym, and days when she physically couldn’t train. But what inspires so many isn’t that she never misses. It’s what happens after.
The moment she’s cleared to return, she walks back through those doors with the biggest smile in the room and says, “Hey ladies! I’m back! I’m ready!” No excuses. No self-pity. No quitting. Just another chance to continue and become stronger. That is resilience.
To many people, fitness is about losing weight or building muscle. For Stasha, fitness is about protecting the life she fought to keep. It’s about being healthy enough to love her husband. Strong enough to chase her daughter. Present enough to enjoy the blessings she was once told she might never receive.
At Champs Fit Den, we celebrate more than physical transformations.
We celebrate courage. We celebrate perseverance. We celebrate the people who choose to fight—even when life gives them every reason not to.
Today, we proudly honor Kristasha “Stasha” Chey as our first CHAMPS Resilience Spotlight.
Stasha, thank you for reminding all of us that champions aren’t defined by perfect circumstances. They’re defined by the decision to keep showing up. No matter what.
Comments