It was s vault she had performed many times before… in fact she landed it exactly as she should, but somehow Jennifer broke her neck & suffered a C5 Spinal Cord Injury in “freak” gymnastics accident…

Prior to the injury, Jennifer was very committed to her gymnastics training. Everyday she went to school, then straight to gymnastics practice until 8:30 at night and then home to do her homework and go to bed. But at just 16 years old, Jennifer had to learn to adapt & adjust to a COMPLETELY different routine.

One thing Jennifer missed the most after her injury were those intensive workouts she used to get from gymnastics. She began to scour the internet for different “physiotherapy” options but could not find anything near her home in Northern Ireland. And then in 2016, she found NextStep Orlando!

NextStep Orlando has restored Jennifer’s hope! It has not only helped her physically- “the workouts can be hard but the trainers make it fun”- but her mental well being has improved as well just by being surround by positivity and other people with similar injuries.

Jennifer was able to visit NextStep Orlando again in 2017 & 2018. In 2019, Jennifer’s visit was canceled because she was involved in a car accident and broke her pelvis in 3 places. She was unable to visit for 2 more years until this past Spring due to Covid. We love having Jennifer in the gym! Her gymnastics background has translated into a very determined client. The more she improves, the more independent she feels which motivates her to work harder! Jennifer hopes to become independent enough to move to the US some day soon!