Stepping It Up In a Big Way on Orlando Medical News

Stepping It Up In a Big Way

By: LYNNE JETER

Group photo (ID: bottom row (L-R): Dana Guest, Aaron Teel and Amanda Perla; back row (L-R): Malerie Murphy, Ronnie Pryor and Ginger Henry.

Inspired by Daughter, Liza Perla-Riedel Helps SCI Community

SANFORD--Two years ago, in the chilly darkness of a springtime night, Liza Perla-Riedel was awakened by a call that all parents dread: her child had been in an automobile accident. Seriously injured, Riedel's 17-year-old daughter, Amanda Perla, was being airlifted to a nearby hospital.

"During the foggy race to the hospital, there was nothing on my mind other than to be with my daughter and wanting only for her to be alive," recalled Riedel, who learned that just before the accident, Perla had removed her seat belt to get into a more comfortable sleeping position in the passenger seat. After being removed from the car by the Jaws of Life, emergency technicians confirmed that Perla's neck was broken. Paralyzed, she would never walk again.

The doctor's news "cruelly broke me from my dreamy stupor," Perla recalled. "Instantaneously, I'd gone 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 functions."

Overcoming Financial Challenges

At the same time Liza Perla-Riedel was searching for an appropriate venue for her daughter, Amanda Perla, who suffered a SCI in April 2007, she was struggling with financial obstacles.

"Amanda made miraculous progress in one (recovery) program, only to have our insurance limit reached too soon," said Riedel, founder and president of Step It Up Recovery Center. "We didn't know where to go after her benefits exhausted. She had 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 everyday."

To help offset the high cost of providing specialized treatment to the SCI community, Step It Up Recovery Center hosts several fundraising programs.

Beginning on Sept. 12 at 9 a.m., Step It Up will host its inaugural Walk-n-Roll-a-Thon. Sponsored by WFTV and TV27 Connection, the fundraising event will take place at Cranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs.

"This event is unique because it offers participants the chance to exercise, spend time with family and friends and support a good cause," said Riedel. "Our clients fight every day to walk again and we need to show them that the community supports them,"

All funds from the Walk-n-Roll-a-thon will go toward the purchase of much-needed equipment for the center. Participation is open to the public.

Step It Up is also cooking up some green via cookbooks.

Johanna VanCasteren, Perla's grandmother, and Halifax Plantation in Ormond Beach have produced and published more than 500 cookbooks selling for $15 each.

"When my daughter first got injured, Halifax Plantation (where VanCasteren lives) held a golf benefit for her," said Riedel. "This year, they wanted to do something for Step It Up, so they did the cookbooks to raise money."

Registration forms for the Walk-n-Roll-a-Thon and donation forms may be downloaded online at www.stepituprecovery.org.

As Perla recovered in the hospital, Riedel began researching facilities that treated spinal cord injury (SCI) patients.

Fulfilling a Local Need

Unable to locate a facility that could support Perla's goals, vision and determination, Riedel established Step It Up Recovery Center, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Sanford that focuses on improving the quality of daily life of the SCI community in a structured and supportive environment. After a soft opening on May 4, a grand opening was held on July 9.

Modeled after the highly successful Project Walk® in Carlsbad, Calif., some SCI clients regain function and a few even walk again. Step It Up uses Project Walk's® specialized, aggressive and comprehensive exercise-based program, The Dardzinski Method, a proven exercise-based methodology for SCI recovery.

"The old approach to SCI was no hope for recovery, no stimulation of paralyzed areas, interference with sensation and muscle contractions with drugs, and placing the SCI person in a continual reduced gravity environment (wheelchair)," said Riedel. "As a result, there was a loss of bone density and muscle mass, further reducing the chances of recovery in the future; decreased circulation; increased risk of infections and pressure sores; and no improvement of function."

The Dardzinski Method begins with external stimulation for the nervous system to promote reorganization, removes clients from reduced gravity environment while working out, and increases muscle contractions that are used to build muscle mass and control. Load bearing exercises are performed from day one, said Riedel.

"The best case result is the client begins to regain function and continues to improve," she said. "The worst case result is the client is healthy and more independent."

A Family Affair

Johanna VanCasteren, Perla's grandmother, directs Step It Up, one of only eight Project Walk-certified facilities in the world. Four states have facilities: Florida (Step It Up), Kansas, New Jersey and Texas. Four international facilities are located in Australia, Canada, England, and Japan.

While many clients travel from out of state, SCI Floridians include Samantha Slusak of New Port Richey, Dana Guest of Dade, Aaron Teel of Pensacola, Thornton Hinshaw of Melbourne, Anthony Waters from Lutz, Kyle Len from Miami University, and Dustin Anderson of Saint Cloud. Most injuries were sustained in auto or ATV accidents.

"Our sessions are usually three hours long, sometimes two hours," said Riedel. "So a booked day for us consists of four to five clients, most who stay for weeks at a time and lodge at local hotels."

The center's SCI families quickly develop a kinship by conversing in terms of specific injuries and timelines, such as Anderson, 25, a "C5-C6 injury for three years." Before Step It Up opened, Anderson traveled to the California Project Walk facility for two weeks at a time.

"From the first minute I was injured, I knew I'd never give up on my goal to walk again, despite what every doctor told me," he said. "The trainers will get you out of your chair and focus on areas you have little or no movement, unlike any other therapy places you attend. Project Walk is a true blessing. God has now blessed me with a closer location in Central Florida."