This is Sabrina’s Testimonial:
I always believed paralysis meant you can’t move. That’s it. End of story.
Then it happened to me.
I am so thankful that I found NextStep Orlando - A Paralysis Recovery Center.
After sustaining a neck injury from a motor vehicle accident in September of 2018, I came out of a coma only to realize my worst nightmare had just begun. I couldn’t move a single part of my body, I couldn’t speak, and I couldn’t eat or drink anything by mouth.
I was fed on a schedule through a feeding tube, changed & moved around every so often by nurses to prevent bed sores, and I communicated using my eyes & a letter board.
Life went on like this for 3 months. As I recovered in the intensive care unit and a rehabilitation hospital, I was taught how to accept this condition and sent home. Anybody who knows me, knew that acceptance was not an option.
On my first visit to NextStep Orlando the trainers got me out of my wheelchair and into a standing frame. I don’t even have the words to describe how great that felt. It made me realize just how much we take for granted. Sitting down, standing up, waving hello to a friend - it all seems like second nature, nothing to be thankful about... until you can’t do it anymore.
At NextStep, their mission is to change that. I started training at NextStep anywhere between 3 to 5 days a week, and the hard work spoke for itself. Over the last 8 months, I’ve been able to strength train, bear more & more weight through my legs, and eventually I was able to stand without any assistance and take my first steps with very minimal assistance!
For months I cried all I could think was “Why me?” I wanted to keep to myself and stay in my comfort zone. But as I started to feel myself physically progress, my mindset started to evolve too. Materialistic items, “friends”, opportunities I had lost and missed out on didn’t seem to matter anymore. Not only was NextStep the gym I trained at, but the people there proved to be a very solid emotional support system as well. The owner, the employees, the clients - everyone was so welcoming. I had finally found another comfort zone.
Emotional recovery is equally important as physical recovery and at NextStep, I found both. I know that my road to recovery will be long and anything but easy, but for me NextStep shined a light at the end of a really dark tunnel. For that I will always be grateful.