OKLAHOMA CITY -
An Oklahoma State
University student is getting ready for a big award and she'll accept it by
taking her first steps in nearly two years.
"I was on my way
home from Stillwater," 22-year-old Mary Beth Davis said. "Flipped my truck,
broke my neck and work and school and now I'm here,"
Davis is in a wheelchair after an accident two years ago that left her paralyzed.
"It'll be two
years in about a week.
This week, Davis is
walking again with the help of this Ekso Bionic suit and her therapists at
Integris.
"Somebody is cueing
you, so it helps with the weight shift side by side," she explained. "You get
tired but it's worth it. It's like an exercise…you get something out of
it."
7/25/2012
Related Story: New Technology Allows Wheelchair-Bound Patients Chance To Walk
Davis says walking
again is an awesome experience, but it's not what defines her.
"I didn't think
this would ever be a next. There's no telling."
Saturday, Davis will
use the bionic suit to walk across a stage to accept the Jim Thorpe Courage
Ambassador Award.
Davis says her
life plans did not really change when she lost the ability to walk; when she
starts classes on Monday at Oklahoma State, she won't have the suit.
"Keep working with
this, go to school and who knows what's next," she said.
Davis loves
animals and has wanted to be a veterinarian for as long as she can remember. She
says she appreciates this opportunity.
Mary Beth Davis was paralyzed in a car accident two years ago.
