Man paralyzed 10 years ago takes first steps

It wasn’t until Isaac Schreurs turned, looked down the corridor and saw how far he’d moved from his wheelchair that he absorbed the enormity of what he’d just accomplished.

The 24-year-old Sioux Falls man had walked for the first time in 10 years, after a motocross accident left him paralyzed from the chest down. He did it with the help of a robotic exoskeleton known as the ReWalk 6.0.

Schreurs was so focused on shifting his body weight from leg to leg so he could step forward, without falling, that the fact he was walking became secondary.

Until he looked down that hallway at the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. Both are part of Allina Health.

“It was very, very cool and surreal, for sure,” Schreurs. “That was the coolest part, seeing my wheelchair way down there. They hallway was really long, and it was cool to see how far I walked that first time.”

Schreurs estimated he covered more than 300 feet last Thursday after he was fitted into the exoskeleton. He spend two hours standing and walking in the ReWalk.

When he finished, Schreurs was exhausted, but it’s not because he hasn’t been preparing for that day. Almost since the day Schreurs broke his back at the third vertebra below the neck, he has remained active.

Using hand controls, Schreurs races 350 sprint cars; in the winter he uses a wide monoski on snowy slopes.

“I am the most unparalyzed paralyzed person I could imagine,” said Schreurs, a drafter at Gage Brothers in Sioux Falls.

Since June 12, 2005, however, during a motocross race in Renner, he has not been able to walk. He couldn’t play high school sports, he said, so he focused on his studies, finishing high school in Dell Rapids midway through his senior year.

A 13-month program at Northwest Technical Institute in Eagan, Minn., put him in the workforce at age 19. He joined Gage Brothers, a manufacturer of architectural and structural concrete products, four months ago.

“He’s got a terrific attitude, and he’s a great young man,” said Gage President Tom Kelley. “He fits in well. Everyone that works around him is excited for him. And he’s still grinning from (the ReWalk experience). He’s still walking on a cloud.”

Schreurs heard about the ReWalk about a year ago, but all outlets involved an expensive plane trip. Then, Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute brought the ReWalk there.

“Early data from ReWalk trials show promising improvements in medical issues unique to individuals with spinal cord injuries,” said Dr. James Spendley, Courage Kenny’s director of spinal cord injury medicine.

“Upright standing and walking using the ReWalk contributed to reduction in pressure ulcers, improvements in sitting balance, improved quality sleep and reduction in fatigue, reduction in pain, increase in lean body mass and decrease in fat mass, as well as improvements in mental health.”

Schreurs’ 300-foot journey, a ReWalk specialist told him, is one of the longest and best walks ever experienced by a first-time user. That could be in part because Schreurs’ has been conscientious about exercising, spending about eight hours a week working his upper body and standing. Using what he called a “stander” eliminates light-headedness and strengthens his bones.

“It definitely paid off that I already had the upper-body strength needed,” Schreurs said. The ReWalk system added 40 pounds to his 130-pound frame.

When it came time to test the ReWalk, Schreurs describes himself as nervous but confident. It helped that he has had a strong support system for 10 years, including his parents, Jeff and Paula Schreurs, his sister Kimbra and other family and friends. His girlfriend also accompanied him to test the ReWalk.

His support group has expanded since he joined Gage Brothers. Schreurs doesn’t know if his insurance will cover the cost of a ReWalk, which runs more than $75,000. If it doesn’t, Kelley said he is investigating ways the company can help.

“To think of not being able to walk for 10 years, just stand up and walk, I can’t,” Kelley said. “We can’t put ourselves in those shoes.”

The ReWalk is not something that will totally replace his wheelchair, Schreurs said. Physically, it is too demanding. He dreams, though, of being able to use it at work, standing while on his computer, then walking over to the printer, and on special occasions.

While the physical and mental benefits for himself are outstanding, Schreurs also knows he can bring help to other.

“Regaining abilities that you never thought you’d have the option again, that’s something I don’t know if you can put into words,” he said.