"I am a firm believer in never giving up on hope and for fighting for what you want in life." -- Sarah Anderson
Date of Birth:
November 6, 1980
Disability Type:
T10 ASIA C Spinal Cord Injury-Incomplete
Date of Injury:
June 30, 2003
Current Residence:
Pinole, California
Interests:
Traveling, being in the sun, the NFL, muscle cars, reading gossip magazines, spending time with my family & friends, hanging out at the lake, waterskiing, going to the theater, watching movies, playing old school video games, any equestrian related sport, going to museums, black & white photography, four wheeling, fishing, and anything that will make me laugh!
I grew up surrounded by horses and agriculture. My mom trained race horses, so I spent my entire youth at the stables. I learned from a young age the value and importance of hard work. My love for horses and agriculture continued on into my early adulthood, so after high school I attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where I majored in Animal Science. I had finally reached a point in life where I was truly pursuing my dreams, but then things suddenly changed.
eLEGS test pilot Sarah Anderson takes her first steps with the assistance of Darrell Musick PT and Adam Zoss, Senior Engineer
My doctor had no idea who he was dealing with when he met me! That good old stubbornness of mine kicked into full drive and every day, no matter how down or depressed I was feeling, I refused to let anyone tell me what I couldn’t do with my future. I worked my butt off every day in physical and occupational therapy. With that mindset and an immense amount of hard work I was able to regain my independence and make a new life for myself.
Words cannot even begin to describe what it was like for me when I took my very first steps in eLEGS. It was just so surreal that I had to literally pinch myself to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming. I was definitely amazed at what I was able to accomplish in one short session with eLEGS. I went from the girl that hadn’t walked in almost eight years, to the girl that was strutting her stuff in eLEGS with a big giant smile on her face. I am so grateful to the team at Berkeley Bionics for giving me the opportunity to achieve my dreams of walking again.
Its amazing what technology can do. I was in a car wreck in 2007 that left me with about 10% strength. I had “spained” my C1, C2, T9, and L5. I also broke my right leg and cracked my pelvis just outside my left Sacroiliac juncture.
The driver that caused the wreck had no insurance or drivers license so no surgeries for me. I get by with arm crutches but at least I can still control my legs. It could have been much worse.
I’m in awe after seeing what exso bionics have done for you.
God speed