When Indy 500 race fans were asked to stand during the singing of the national anthem Sunday, paralyzed veteran Dan Rose was one of them thanks to a wearable robot.
Rose, an Army veteran, lost his ability to walk in the spring of 2011 while serving in Afghanistan.
|
Advertisement |
“The doctor saw the damage to the spinal cord and told me that I wasn’t going to walk again,” said Rose.
That was Rose’s story for the next three years. His injuries kept him confined to a life in a wheelchair.
In 2014, his doctors came across an exoskeleton suit that got him on his feet again. The suit is a wearable robot, called an EksoGT and made by Ekso Bionics.
Rose stood for the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner in the starting grid, next to driver Graham Rahal. One of Rahal’s sponsors is United Rentals, which has been raising money for a non-profit called SoliderStrong. The organization uses the funds to give the exoskeleton to VA hospitals across the country for therapy with paralyzed veterans.
Standing before the start of the Indianapolis 500 was pretty special for Rose. “Right after I was injured, I’d go to things and it’d be like, ‘please stand for the national anthem,’ and I’d think, I wish I could do that,” he said. “To do that on a huge occasion like today is awesome.”