Redmond—
A paralyzed Puyallup man who was told he may never walk again is determined to prove his doctors wrong with the help of an exercise rehab facility in Redmond.Steve Gross is a paraplegic. He got hurt five years ago on a dirt biking trip.
"All of a sudden the trail dropped off. It seemed like it took forever to fall and I could see his foot peg sticking up and I was either going to take his foot peg down my chest and rip me open or I could have went head first into the bottom of his bike. So I went head first into the bottom of his motorcycle," says Gross.
He crushed three disks in his neck and broke two of his vertebrae, changing his life in an instant.
"I was told by the doctor that there was very little chance of me getting anything back and at that point all could do was turn my head, shrug my shoulders and had a little bit of arm movement," says Gross.
But that wasn't good enough for him. Gross says he is the type of person who when told he can't do something will do whatever it takes to prove you wrong. His determination sent him searching for help. He searched online and found Pushing Boundaries in Redmond. It's an exercise rehabilitation facility focused on helping paralyzed people walk again.
Therapist Mike Buckel helps Gross go through exercises like pulling himself from a prone position on his back to sitting up straight, and from a seated position to standing. Just recently, Gross has also been able to take steps with the help of a new piece of equipment called the Lokomat.
It's a robot-assisted treadmill system that supports a patient in an upright position while moving the legs through a normal walking pattern.
"People are able to mimic walking over ground which helps improve weight bearing and blood circulation," says Buckel.
The therapist can control the machine to provide more or less assistance to each client.
Steve Gross says he is willing to put in the work and keep a positive attitude, knowing he will reach his goal.
"There's always a chance and there's hope. You need to hang on to that. The day I take my first step on my own will be huge," says Gross.
Pushing Boundaries is the only facility in the state of Washington that has a Lokomat machine available to the public. They also use it to help people who have had strokes and multiple sclerosis
