NextStep Raleigh

We are officially less than a month away from the 2026 Stand Together Gala: Beyond the Horizon.

On Sunday, November 1, NextStep Raleigh will gather at Boatman Spirits for an evening celebrating recovery, resilience, innovation, and the incredible community that makes our mission possible.

This year’s gala is unlike anything we have done before. Local chefs, craft distillers, musicians, artists, businesses, sponsors, volunteers, clients, families, and friends are coming together to create an immersive culinary and philanthropic experience in support of people living with paralysis and neurological conditions.

Three Waypoints. One Extraordinary Journey.

The Wayfarer Experience | 4:30 PM
An intimate early experience featuring the distillery, exceptional bites, and early access to the evening.

The Voyage | 6:00 PM
Our main event, filled with incredible food, storytelling, community, and the mission of NextStep Raleigh.

After Dark | 9:00 PM
The celebration continues with Epic DJ Entertainment, drinks, late-night bites, and dancing.

Because our services are not covered by insurance, fundraising is essential to helping us underwrite the true cost of specialized neurological rehabilitation and keep these services within reach for the people who need them.

Every ticket purchased, every sponsorship, every donation, and every person who shares our story helps move that mission forward.

We hope you’ll join us on November 1.

Choose your adventure. Chart your course. Meet us beyond the horizon.

Learn more, purchase tickets, or explore sponsorship opportunities:
https://onecau.se/beyondthehorizon

We are so proud to see NextStep Raleigh featured in the October issue of Raleigh Magazine.

The article shares the stories of Rahman Mateen, Owen Markham, and Corrie Cooper, three individuals whose recovery journeys look very different but who each show what can be possible with continued access, support, and the opportunity to keep working toward their goals.

We are grateful to Raleigh Magazine and Abigail Celoria Francis for taking the time to learn more about our work and, most importantly, for centering the voices and experiences of the people we serve.

This feature is also a reflection of the entire NextStep Raleigh community: our clients, families, trainers, supporters, and everyone who believes that recovery deserves more time, more access, and more possibilities.

We hope you will take a few minutes to read and share their stories.

NextStep Raleigh Helps People with Paralysis Get Moving NextStep, a local paralysis center, uses a fitness-based approach to help people relearn lost movements and reclaim a piece of themselves.

Eight Years In, and Still Moving Forward

September has been a month of growth, celebration and new possibilities at NextStep Raleigh.

We celebrated eight years of serving our community, welcomed new members to our training team, expanded the recovery resources available within our center and continued building connections throughout the Triangle.

At NextStep Raleigh, personalized care and innovation go hand in hand. We stay connected to evolving research, explore new technologies and approaches that may benefit our clients, and never lose sight of the individual person behind every program.

And as we look toward what comes next, our biggest night of the year is just ahead.

BEYOND THE HORIZON
Tickets & Sponsorships Are On Sale

0n Sunday, November 1, we will gather at Boatman Spirits for the Stand Together | Beyond the Horizon Gala.

This year, the evening unfolds across three distinct experiences:

4:30 PM | The Wayfarer Experience
An intimate opening experience for sponsors and Wayfarer ticket holders featuring a private distillery experience, craft cocktails and chef-curated bites.

6:00 PM | The Voyage
The heart of the gala, with incredible food and cocktails, silent and live auctions, our Mission Moment and Fund-a-Need.

9:00 PM | After Dark
The mission is serious. The party doesn’t have to be. Stay for music, dancing and late-night bites as we celebrate into the evening.

For NextStep Raleigh, this night is about far more than a celebration.

Our specialized neurological recovery programs are not covered by insurance. Fundraising helps bridge that gap, expand access for our clients and allow us to continue investing in the programs, technology and equipment that make recovery possible.

Tickets and sponsorships are available now. (https://onecau.se/beyondthehorizon)

Explore Beyond the Horizon and reserve your place

Three Waypoints. One Extraordinary Journey.

MORE RECOVERY OPTIONS, CLOSE TO HOME

We are pleased to introduce Dr. Brett Hightower, who is now offering Neuropuncture as an additional resource for the NextStep Raleigh community.

Neuropuncture is an acupuncture approach focused on neurological conditions. In spinal cord injury rehabilitation and other neurological care, it is intended to target specific neurological pathways and may be used alongside other therapies to support goals such as pain management, nerve signaling, mobility and function.

For us, it is another example of looking beyond a single approach to recovery and connecting clients with options that may complement the work they are already doing.

Serving NextStep Raleigh clients is a priority for Dr. Hightower.

To learn more about whether Neuropuncture may be appropriate for you or someone you love, text Dr. Brett Hightower at 919-931-3744. He asks that clients text initially so he does not miss your call.

MORE RECOVERY TECHNOLOGY, CLOSE TO HOME
Bioness Screening Days at NextStep Raleigh

Through our partnership with Bioness Medical Inc., NextStep Raleigh is helping bring additional rehabilitation technology and recovery options directly to our local community.

Bioness technology may be appropriate for some people living with stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and other brain, nerve or spinal cord conditions.

Bioness offers several technologies, including:
L300 Go®
Designed to assist with foot drop and walking.

H200 Wireless®
Designed to support hand and arm movement.

PoNS® Therapy
Used to support walking and balance for some people with chronic stroke or multiple sclerosis.

Bioness clinicians will continue visiting NextStep Raleigh for special monthly screening days. Clients can meet individually with a clinician, discuss their goals and explore whether one of these technologies may be appropriate for them.

Upcoming Screening Dates
October 16
November 11
December 16

Call our Bioness representative at 804-357-9169 to learn more or reserve a spot.

Bringing opportunities like these into our center is one more way we are working to give clients access to more tools and more possibilities for recovery without having to travel.

INNOVATION ALREADY IN ACTION
ARC-EX at NextStep Raleigh

Innovation is not only about what comes next. It is also part of what is happening inside NextStep today.

NextStep Raleigh continues to integrate ONWARD ARC-EX® Therapy, a noninvasive spinal cord stimulation technology, into programming for eligible clients with spinal cord injuries.

ARC-EX is used alongside our activity-based training approach and gives our team another tool as clients work toward goals involving upper-extremity movement and function.

It is part of our larger commitment to staying connected to advances in neurological recovery while continuing to build each program around the individual client.

GROWING OUR TEAM
Meet Ty & Jaylen

Recovery is deeply personal, and the people working beside our clients are an important part of the NextStep Raleigh experience.

This fall, we are excited to welcome two new Activity Based Trainers to our team: Tylyia “Ty” Triggs and Jaylen Green.

CELEBRATING DEMONICA’S NEXT STEP
From Raleigh to Atlanta

September also brought a bittersweet goodbye as Demonica Stanley left NextStep Raleigh to begin the next chapter of her career in Atlanta with Shepherd Center.

Demonica brought energy, compassion and a genuine commitment to our clients throughout her time at NextStep. She leaves having shaped this community while also being shaped by the clients, families and teammates she worked beside.
We are proud to see her continue growing within the neurological rehabilitation field and carry what she has learned here into one of the country’s leading rehabilitation organizations.

Her move is also a reminder that NextStep Raleigh is not only a place where clients continue growing. It is a place where young professionals deepen their knowledge, discover where this work may take them and carry that experience into the larger rehabilitation community.

Demonica, thank you for everything you gave to NextStep Raleigh. We cannot wait to see where this next horizon takes you.

NEXTSTEP RALEIGH TURNS 8
Look How Far We Have Come

On September 18, 2026, NextStep Raleigh celebrated eight years.

NextStep Raleigh began with a family’s determination to create a place where Michael Thor could continue pursuing recovery following his C2 spinal cord injury.
That vision became something much larger.

Today, NextStep Raleigh serves people living with spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions.

Over eight years, our equipment has evolved. Our programs have expanded. New technology has become part of what we can offer. New trainers have learned here, grown here and carried that experience forward.

But the reason we are here has remained remarkably simple:

People deserve the opportunity to keep working toward what comes next.

Recovery does not follow a timetable. It does not look the same for everyone. And access to recovery should not disappear simply because traditional rehabilitation or insurance coverage has ended.

Eight years later, we are still learning, still growing and still asking what more is possible.

To every client and family who has trusted us, every trainer who has invested themselves in this work, and every donor, volunteer, board member, founder, friend and community partner who has helped make these eight years possible, thank you.

There is still so much beyond the horizon.

NEXTSTEP IN THE COMMUNITY
Join Us at the 5K9 Dog Jog

NextStep Raleigh is excited to participate in the Vets to Vets United 5K9 Dog Jog on Saturday, September 26 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.

Vets to Vets United is a local nonprofit that pairs rescue dogs with veterans living with service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, traumatic brain injury and depression. Each veteran and dog team receives training and certification as a service dog team through a two-year program provided at no cost to the veteran.

Their work addresses two needs at once: giving rescue dogs another chance while providing veterans with companionship, support and a reason to get up and moving each day.

The 5K9 Dog Jog has grown into much more than a race. Families can enjoy pony rides, a petting zoo, a DJ, snacks and drinks, games, a vendor village, activities for dogs and more.

NextStep Raleigh will be there from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, sharing our mission and connecting with veterans, families and organizations from across the community.

Stop by and see us.
September 26 | 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
WakeMed Soccer Park | Cary, NC

Learn more about Vets to Vets United (http://vetstovetsunited.org/)

A RESOURCE FOR OUR SCI COMMUNITY
Stay Current with SCI Matters

One of NextStep Raleigh’s board members, Dr. Alexander G. Rabchevsky, Professor at the University of Kentucky Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, publishes a weekly newsletter called SCI Matters.

The newsletter brings together spinal cord injury research, advocacy updates, educational resources, podcasts, emerging technologies and opportunities for the SCI community.

Recent issues have included information about spinal cord stimulation, brain-computer interfaces, new SCI research, advocacy efforts and practical resources for people living with spinal cord injury.

For clients and families who want another way to stay connected to developments in the larger SCI community, SCI Matters is a great resource to have in your inbox.

Read a recent issue of SCI Matters (https://mailchi.mp/efc8f2dd6991/o7yessln0y-2003)

Subscribe to SCI Matters (https://uky.us22.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6a70d258e4be1b218a68628e5&id=96c3a8485f)

KEEP MOVING FORWARD WITH US

There are many ways to be part of what happens next at NextStep Raleigh.

Come see us. Share our mission. Introduce someone to NextStep. Attend the gala. Become a sponsor. Make a gift.

Every connection helps expand what is possible for the people we serve.

STAND TOGETHER | BEYOND THE HORIZON
November 1, 2026 | Boatman Spirits

Tickets + Sponsorships (https://onecau.se/beyondthehorizon)

The horizon looks different for everyone. Together, we help move it forward.

NextStep Raleigh September 2026 Newsletter Click here for an update from NextStep Raleigh!

This is a note from Karen Thor, Founder of NextStep Raleigh. I posted this on my FB page on Friday but Sandy reminded me it should also be on NextStep's page, so here it is! September 18 marked the 8th anniversary of the opening of NextStep Raleigh. What started out first and foremost as a place for my son, Michael Thor, to continue his journey of recovery after a C2 spinal cord injury in 2015 has turned into, as planned, a place where anyone living with a paralyzing neurological illness or injury can come to regain movement, strength, health and hope for the future.
A lot of people have helped make NSR a success. I'd like to mention a few here. In the beginning it was just me, Yolanda Ortiz, David Wright and Arlene Lois Peters . The four of us built shelves, ordered our first three or four pieces of equipment and got our first several clients. Emma Bailey, Brandon Lawrence, Ben Mauzé, Jose Royo, Amanda Hicks, Gracie Chriscoe, Kelly De La Cruz, Kay Straughn - I'm talking about you!
Since then we've had so many great trainers. Jeramie Gray joined us as Director of Training and has made a huge impact, as have (to name a few - sorry if I missed someone) Kaylee Dolphin, Sam Pasnon, Bolaji Oshin, Travis Jones, Oluwole Thompson (O) and Demonica Stanley (D) who have all left their own indelible marks. Our current crew of trainers - Ethan Brown, Ty Triggs, Jaylen Green, Cade Williams and O - continue the tradition of providing excellent, innovative activity-based training with the addition of new, exciting equipment like the ONWARD ARC-EX for hand and arm movement (and actually a lot more).
We now have approximately 35 clients, a number that is growing almost daily. Over our 8 years, we have served hundreds and made their bodies stronger and their lives better. Our new executive director, Sandy Bridger, is always working hard behind the scenes organizing fundraisers, updating and writing new policies and procedures, and getting our name and reputation out on social media and just doing all the work required to run this organization. It's an all-encompassing, hard job. I know. I did it for 7 years and thank Sandy a million times for taking it off of me! Finally a big THANK YOU to all our board members, past and present, who have made such a positive impact on our rehab center.
THANK YOU to all involved in making NextStep Raleigh a success and a resource for people living with paralysis. We couldn't have gotten to this amazing anniversary without you! Here's to many more!!
Enjoy some early pics.

We love supporting the community that supports NextStep Raleigh.

Executive Director Sandy Bridger stopped by the Wendy Perry Designs trunk show at J.McLaughlin North Hills and had such a great time celebrating two local brands that continue to show up for our community.

are always grateful for the businesses, designers, and friends who support the work of NextStep Raleigh, and we are just as happy to return that support whenever we can.

Community really does come full circle.

Thank you, Wendy Perry Designs and J.McLaughlin North Hills, for being part of ours.

Eight years.

It is hard not to pause and reflect on how far we have come.

What began as a vision has grown into a strong and determined community where people living with paralysis and other neurological conditions can continue to pursue recovery, strength, independence, and possibility.

Over the past eight years, we have seen progress in every sense of the word. We have grown our programs, expanded our impact, welcomed more families into our community, and continued creating a place where hope and hard work meet every day.

NextStep Raleigh turning 8 is more than a milestone. It is a celebration of every client, family member, trainer, donor, volunteer, partner, and supporter who has helped build this community.

We are proud of how far we have come, grateful for everyone who has been part of the journey, and excited for all that is still ahead.

Here’s to 8 years of impact and everything still to come.

Some people get excited about a new car.
We get excited about a new platform walker.

Meet the newest set of wheels at NextStep Raleigh, ready for plenty of miles, repetition and hard work with our clients.

No cup holders. No heated seats. Still pretty exciting.

And this is exactly why fundraising matters. Support from events like our Stand Together Gala: Beyond the Horizon gives us the flexibility to invest in the equipment and resources our clients need, when they need them.

New wheels. More possibilities.

There are moments when the horizon changes, not because the journey is ending, but because we have grown enough to see farther.

Our latest Beyond the Horizon reflection was inspired by Demonica Stanley as she begins her next chapter at Shepherd Center.

In her farewell, she wrote:
“Rehabilitation is about so much more than physical recovery. It’s about confidence, independence, purpose, and helping someone see what’s possible beyond their circumstances.”

Her words are a reminder that the road is not one way.

Our trainers walk beside clients through recovery, but they are shaped by that journey too. By the relationships. By the trust. By the difficult days and the breakthroughs. By families who continue to adapt, persist, and keep moving forward.

We leave something with the people we walk beside.

And we carry something of them with us.

Read The Next Horizon, the latest reflection in our Beyond the Horizon series.

Reflection 9 | The Next Horizon — NextStep Sometimes the people who help others see what is possible discover something about their own possibilities, too.