A cheerleader from Texas who was paralyzed in a freak accident in September 2021 has experienced the joy of walking again thanks to an exoskeleton.
This was the first time that Makayla Noble, a 17-year-old from Prosper, Texas, had been able to walk since the accident six months ago which damaged her spinal cord and left her unable to move from the chest down.
On her Instagram Noble shared images of the walk, described the thrill of taking an assisted walk. The Texas cheerleader wrote: "I can say with confidence today has been the best day since my accident! I got to get in an exoskeleton that walked for me.
"Although it felt like I was walking. It felt no different than a regular day before my accident! I guess I would say it just felt normal!!!
"Well... I think my goal of walking across the stage at graduation will happen next year! I'm so excited!"
Makayla Noble's mom, Jenn Noble, wrote on the Mayakla's fight Facebook group: "Today at WISE Mak got to try out the ExoSkeleton Machine, a wearable technology that wraps around the body to help walk again.
"At this point, it was all the machine, Makayla is not walking but certainly an exciting step in the right direction! Everyone was so impressed with how her body handled it and even more exciting for Mak is that she will get to do this once a week at Baylor!!!"
Jenn Noble added that her daughter has just two weeks left in her WISE rehabilitation program, referring to the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Specialty Program at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation, Dallas.
According to the institute, this is a highly specialized program that is designed to meet each individual's unique physical and/or functional needs after sustaining a spinal cord injury.
It was announced that Noble had been accepted onto the SCI program at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation on the Mayakla's fight Facebook group on January 5, 2022.
The program began on January 10 with, among other things, the cheerleader practicing tackling everyday tasks such as opening different types of doors and learning how to maneuver in small spaces and dressing.
A Go Fund Me campaign organized by a family friend of the Noble's, Tiffany Smith, has at the time of writing raised over $222,000 of a $250,000 goal. The money will help the teenager as she faces what Smith calls "the long road of recovery."
Noble was left paralyzed after suffering a severe spinal cord injury on September 20, 2021. The world-champion cheerleader was practicing for homecoming at a friend's house and tried to do a routine flip but ended up landing on her neck, damaging her C6 vertebra.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
