ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – Pedal after pedal, the smile seems to get bigger on Amanda Perla’s face.

​“I’m going full send,” she says while just getting a start on her timed hand bike ride. Her goal is to make it around the NextStep Orlando complex parking lot in less than 90 seconds.

It’s a tough milestone to reach, but it’s the latest test in a long line of ones she’s already surpassed.

“Told right off the bat that I would never walk again. I’d never live an independent life. Quality of life at best would be bleak. Obviously doing our best to prove that all wrong.”

Since 2007, Amanda has been quadriplegic. A car accident left her with a severe spinal injury. She was told she would never live independently and would likely be wheelchair bound for life.

“We actually have a saying that we live by here,” Amanda says. “We were told to accept what we couldn’t change. Instead, we changed what we can’t accept. I just like to live by that all the time. Don’t tell me what I can and cannot do, because I’ll prove you wrong every time.”

Here being NextStep Orlando, a paralysis recovery center with an emphasis on affordable and community care. It was founded by Amanda’s mother a few years after her accident.

“My life was put on pause,” Amanda said. “I wasn’t feeling challenged by traditional physical therapy. When I started seeking other options for recovery from a spinal cord injury and found recovery based therapy and we were able to open up the center, that’s when I realized I can take control of my situation, my life and make the best of it."

That’s what Amanda and her staff do.

“Just know that there is still compassion out there in the world. There are still people who want to be there to help you. If you let yourself be helped by those people, you can find a quality of life worth living after an injury or illness. You can find happiness again.”

Amanda found happiness. She continues her pursuit to prove all doubters wrong. A few times a week, she works with senior activity-based therapist, Travis Alen. Each session begins with an attempt to stand without assistance.

“For whatever reason, when I’m standing, I can feel the ground beneath my feet and I can feel all of my muscles contracting their hardest to try and stand on their own.”

“There are times I can let go of her trunk and we can have good stability like now,” Travis says during a workout. “As little as this may seem, this is years of constant work on her core to be able to get to this.”

The sessions go from standing exercises to motor functions through sport like hitting baseballs like her favorite player, Pete Alonso.

The end always brings several trips around the complex on the hand bike. Pedal by pedal, stride by stride she is chasing down her next milestone.

“Our big goal this year is to stand unassisted for three seconds. This is something we work on every session.”