Fundraiser held for Fresno firefighter learning to walk after 50-feet fall
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno firefighter is getting a big boost as she fights her way back to the life and the job she's always wanted.
Mia Gonzalez has the perfect lap for kids these days, but she's working hard to let her brother Nikko off the hook for helping her reach things beyond the wheelchair she's used for the last two years.
"I've had a lot more improvement going to therapy and stuff and able to push myself to strive to do the impossible," she said.
In the last week, she's regained feeling in her quadriceps and she can almost lock her knee.
That's a long way from where she was even three months ago when we met her.
RELATED: Beating the odds: Fresno firefighter's journey to walk again after life-changing accident
She suffered paralysis in September 2017 when she fell more than 50 feet off the side of a cliff on her way to hike up Morro Rock.
Doctors gave her a 10% chance of ever walking again.
But at 22, she's learned to walk again in a harness and now, with canes.
And her positive attitude has caught a lot of attention, including at Casa de Tamales in the Tower District.
"She has this desire to want to walk again and she wants to tell her story and she wants to inspire others," said Casa de Tamales owner Liz Sanchez. "And I want to help her do that."
Sanchez just recently read about Gonzalez, so she reached out and offered to host a fundraiser.
Gonzalez finished the fire academy after her accident and she now works in the Fresno Fire Department's investigations unit, but her insurance won't cover all her therapy or equipment -- like a $15,000 exoskeleton suit.
But on Sunday, people came to the restaurant to support her trip back to the heights she was on her way to reaching. They ended up raising $1,500.
"If I just got up and started walking, I would definitely go hike Moro Rock because I never made it that day," Gonzalez said.
She's positive she'll beat the odds, and if you want to help, you can click here to make a donation.
