By LOIS KINDLE
In 2014, Jared Ramella’s life changed in an instant when the motorcycle he was riding was struck by a car. Left paralyzed from the waist down, his life spiraled downward into the depths of despair.
“It was an ongoing struggle,” said his mother, Suzanne. “In addition to his physical injuries, he suffered from depression and anxiety. The financial demands for his medical care and highly specialized physical therapy were astronomical.”
But thanks to the love and support of his family, friends and his new wife, Taylor, Jared’s outlook on life has gone from hopelessness to optimism.
Jared Ramella, seen here teeing off on a ParaGolfer, invites you to join him at the Summerfield Crossings Golf Club April 29 for this year’s 7th and final round of the Road to Recovery Golf Tournament. Register online now at www.7thround.eventzilla.net or call 813-967-5811.
He is the face of a new landscaping business called O My Lawn LLC, which provides weekly or bi-weekly lawn maintenance that includes mowing, weed eating, leaf blowing and edging. The company also offers the additional services of hedge trimming, tree trimming, pressure washing, flower bed restoration and more.
Free, same-day or next-day quotes are available. Call 813-255-0397 or email omylawnllc@gmail.com/.
“Taylor is the owner, and I’m the ‘legs’ behind the business,” said Jared, now 38. “I bring the right people to every job, and we arrive on time, do what we say we’ll do and don’t leave until the work is done right.”
The business and his wife have brought new meaning to his life.
“After the accident I would lie in bed glancing out the window and wish I could just cut my own yard,” he said. “Now I’ve gone from people having to help me to me helping others.”
Jared Ramella, “the face of O My Lawn,” was left paralyzed in 2014 after his motorcycle was struck by a car whose driver failed to yield right of way. His recovery has been arduous, but his role in the new company his new wife owns has given him hope and a sense of purpose.
The beginnings of change
As a kid, Jared used to cut his grandfather’s lawn for many years and, starting at age 16, worked for Valley Crest (now Brightview) and Ameriscapes landscaping companies over a period of 10 years.
He met Taylor when he went for treatment of a toothache at Jacobs & Thatcher Dentistry in Sept. 2020. She was employed there at the time, and said she was immediately attracted to him.
That same day she invited Jared to a bike event at Salty Shamrock with some of her friends, and the two have been inseparable ever since.
“Jared is witty, charming and handsome. I fell in love with him for who he is, wheelchair and all,” Taylor said. “I was raised to see people who have disabilities no differently than anyone else.
Jared was having difficulty landing offers of employment back then due to his disability, so he started thinking about founding a business. Last summer, after Taylor’s dad gifted him a riding mower, his own dad a trailer, and Taylor’s grandfather a string trimmer and other lawn tools, he began mowing his own lawn and those of his parents and neighbors.
The seeds of O My Lawn LLC were planted.
Making the business official, Taylor obtained licensing, insurance and an EIN number, printed 500 business cards and began marketing.
Jared’s nephew works alongside him, transferring him on and off the mower and performing all weed eating and edging services. Including Jared, the crew already has five employees.
“This has given me freedom and a purpose. My home is no longer a prison,” Jared said. “I see what I’m doing now as a metaphor for my life – I’m taking something ‘ugly’ and turning it into something beautiful.”
Road to Recovery Golf Tourney
COURTESY PHOTOS
Newlyweds Taylor Ramella and her husband, Jared, have teamed up to start a new, Ruskin-based landscaping business called O My Lawn.
Jared’s medical expenses are ongoing, so while he builds his business clientele, his sister Amanda is hosting this year’s 7th and final round of Jared’s Road to Recovery Golf Tournament. It will take place April 29 at the Summerfield Crossings Golf Club, 13050 Summerfield Blvd., Riverview.
Event proceeds will benefit her brother’s care and that of other families affected by tragedies leaving a loved one paralyzed.
“The party starts early,” Amanda said. “We’ll have complimentary mimosas and Bloody Marys at 11 a.m., which will be followed by a noon check-in and shotgun start at 1. We’ll also feature a mobile cigar bar.”
The cost of $85 per person covers greens fees, a cart, lunch and beer on the course, dinner at the 19th-hole party, raffle tickets and a personal cooler.
It promises to be a blast.
Register online now at www.7thround.eventzilla.net or call 813-967-5811.
