Amanda Perla
“I just love to be able to help other people that felt so helpless and hopeless, like I did, see that there is hope for their future.”
We were so excited to see NextStep Orlando in the spotlight this month (and special thanks to Kay Ledson at Warrior Momz for sharing it with us!)
Our client Amanda Perla experienced a life-changing car accident at age 18 that left her with paralysis from the chest down. She received a grim prognosis: no chance of living independently, and no chance of being able to push a manual wheelchair.
As Amanda is interviewed in her manual wheelchair from behind the desk at NextStep, it’s easy to see that she didn’t allow that prognosis to become her definition.
Amanda and her mother, Liza Riedel, pursued specialized rehab in California and soon realized they needed to bring new paralysis recovery pathways to Florida.
“I saw the life come back into my child.”
NextStep Orlando is a nonprofit supporting a wide range of diagnoses, including spinal cord injury, stroke, and brain injury.
Of course, we were extra thrilled to see baby Scottie included in the interview with Amanda. Scottie arrived in January with help from a surrogate and support from the fundraising campaign in Amanda’s honor.
