Welcome to Mando's Fundraising Page
Please Support my Journey to Recovery!
In 2007, I was a senior in High School when I was a passenger in a car accident. I broke my neck, sustained a C6 Spinal Cord Injury and my life changed forever in an instant…
I had always been active & adventurous & when I came home from inpatient rehabilitation, I felt that traditional physical therapy was not challenging me enough so I sought out different types of recovery. And in 2009, my mom & I opened NextStep Orlando, a Nonprofit Profit Paralysis Recovery Center that provides Activity Based Therapy to people living with neurological disorders in the Central Florida area, from all over Florida, the States and the world!!
In 2010, I met my now husband. We married in 2019 and went on my dream honeymoon to Italy! We are currently trying to start a family via surrogacy.
I’m just here to show the world that disabled people are out living their best lives too! We’re people just like you… & an injury like mine can happen to anyone at anytime. It does not discriminate against age, race or sex. Enjoy the small things in life & be grateful for all the blessings you have always!
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My Supporters
- Leigh and Billy Van Casteren We love you Amanda! Uncle Billy and Uncle Billy 4 weeks ago $100.00
- Joanne Poretti Go girlie! 4 weeks ago $105.00
- Sandy Louloudis 5 weeks ago $26.25
- Dario Perla 5 weeks ago $300.00
- Positively Paralyzed 5 weeks ago $105.00
- Dario Perla 5 weeks ago $300.00
- Joanne Poretti Go girlie! 4 weeks ago $105.00
- Positively Paralyzed 5 weeks ago $105.00
- Laura Narut Last month $105.00
- Leigh and Billy Van Casteren We love you Amanda! Uncle Billy and Uncle Billy 4 weeks ago $100.00
About NextStep Orlando
They told us to accept what we couldn’t change. Instead, we changed what we couldn’t accept.
"On April 21, 2007, I received the phone call no parent is ever prepared for. I was told my only daughter, Amanda, was being airlifted to a nearby hospital after a serious car accident. As I raced to the hospital, I could only think one thing: Please, let her be alive.
Once there, I learned Amanda’s friend had fallen asleep at the wheel, hit a traffic light pole and careened down an embankment. My 18 year old daughter, asleep in the passenger seat, became a human missile within the car. I was informed her neck was broken and she was paralyzed. According to her doctors, Amanda would never walk again.
Immediately, desperate panic for my child clawed at me, followed by feelings of confusion, anger, sorrow and uncertainty. I went from having an active, well-adjusted daughter who loved her family, friends and participating in dance, to a battered, bed-ridden daughter, unable to sit up, feed herself or be in control of her bowel or bladder function. From her bedside in the hospital, I vowed to fight for my child’s recovery. In the days and weeks that followed, Amanda was fitted for a wheelchair. We were informed our goals for regaining Amanda’s independence and complete mobility were unrealistic. We searched out what we felt was the best program in the world for those like Amanda and flew across the country. She made miraculous progress in the program, only to have our insurance limit reached too soon. She still has much work ahead of her.
This horrible reality is similarly faced by over 11,000 families each year. There are very few options for recovery, especially in Florida. A person living with a spinal cord injury is overwhelmed. They need recovery, hope, encouragement and a reason to wake up every day.
This is why we founded NextStep Orlando. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to help those suffering with a spinal cord injury (SCI) improve their daily living – by regaining function and perhaps, even walking again.
Thank you for your support as we continue to give individuals Hope."
Sincerely,
Liza Perla-Riedel Founder/Facility Director
NextStep Orlando exist to provide those living with a spinal cord injury and other types of paralysis the opportunity to achieve their greatest recovery potential and an overall increased quality of life.
NextStep Orlando is an affordable, state of the art, community-based Paralysis recovery and fitness center. By offering standardize activity-based therapy programs and interventions, based on research, our center provides the best chance for recovery, independence and health.
DONATION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT:
NextStep Orlando, Inc. is classified as a non-profit 501 (c)(3) by the IRS and complies fully with federal and state charitable solicitation requirements. FEIN: 26-2998891
This Special Event was created for NSO as a general fundraiser for the organization. All proceeds received from the event, unless designated otherwise, are for non-restricted use NSO to further its exempt purpose and therefore NSO has 100% control of the funds contributed.
FLORIDA DEPT OF AGRICULTURE & CONSUMER SERVICES /REGISTRATION#: CH37389
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OR VIA THE INTERNET AT WWW.800HELPFLA.COM. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.