Device helps Triad woman learn to walk on her own after aneurysm
A Triad woman who thought she would have to use a walker for the rest of her life, now has hope that she'll be able to walk on her own again.
Posted — Updated"I want to be able to do simple things, like clean up my house and make my bed," said Renee Lindley.
"I can't stand in the shower, I can't walk barefoot, I can't wash dishes, I can't stand too long with this walker because it hurts."
Renee Lindley had a brain aneurysm more than a year ago. She spent several weeks in the hospital and four months in a wheelchair. She now has a condition called drop foot, where the muscles in her left leg won't pick up her left foot.
"I can't keep my foot parallel to the ground, which you have to do in order to walk," said Lindley.
On Tuesday, Lindley received a device called a WalkAide.
"It sends an electrical signal into the nerve to pick up the foot," said Steven Grove, the clinic manager at Hanger Clinic Prosthetics and Orthotics.
Grove says the WalkAide device is popular and effective but is often not covered by insurance.
Lindley needs to raise $5,000 to keep the device, which she is testing out for two weeks.
"I'll be able to pick my foot up and walk, like you walk, like everybody walks," Lindley said. "It's a miracle."
With help from the community, she's almost reached her goal.
"I'm overwhelmed with gratitude and joy I can't even express it," said Lindley.
Lindley says the thing she's looking forward to the most is being able to walk barefoot on the beach.
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