While conducting a combat operation in Afghanistan on September 16, 2008, Chief Warrant Officer Romulo “Romy” Camargo sustained a gunshot wound that paralyzed him from the neck down. The ensuing surgeries and rehabilitation that followed laid the foundation for the creation of the Stay in Step Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Center, as Romy and his wife, Gabriella, realized that rehabilitation for spinal trauma, brain injuries, and other neurological disorders causing paralysis is a journey that needs specific guides.

Against the odds, Romy lived, and today breathes without a ventilator…and he and Gabriella want to help others on the road to recovery as they continue to walk it themselves.

According to a 2016 Report by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, approximately 30% of persons with spinal cord injuries are re-hospitalized one or more times during any given year following injury. Among those re-hospitalized, the length of hospital stays averages 22 days. The Stay In Step Program focuses on preventing, and in many cases reversing, the deterioration that results from lack of sustained physical activity. This not only results in a better quality of life for clients but reduces the emotional and financial burden on families and caregivers.

Support for caregivers is another key aspect of Stay in Step’s unique approach; in addition to physical therapy they offer resources and respite to those caring for someone living with paralysis. From helping navigate insurance and the hospital system to offering yoga classes, spa days, legal webinars and art therapy classes, SIS endeavors to improve the quality of life for everyone affected by spinal cord injury.

You can be a part of Stay in Step’s crucial mission by giving to Stay In Step’s Supplemental Funding Program, which directly assists people who otherwise would not be able to afford this critical therapy.

A note from Jack Gordon, Board-Certified Civil trial Lawyer

For me, the importance of Stay-in-Step is the manner in which the organization was developed. Both Romy and my client John Pelaez were traveling to Orlando to garner top-notch spinal rehabilitation because there was nothing comparable in Tampa. They met there in Orlando when Gaby (Romy’s wife) and Patricia (John’s mother) discussed how important it could be to have a facility like this in Tampa.

The dedicated staff and advanced technology has provided significant improvement for John — both physically and motivationally. I tried John’s case in December 2017, and the jury was astounded at the footage from Stay-in-Step. The organization, by virtue of its commitment to its patients like John, contributed to the successful outcome (a judgment of nearly $15 million dollars) in that trial.

For that contribution, and the daily commitment to improving the lives of its patients, I am forever grateful to the organization.

To learn more, visit stayinstep.org

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