Paralyzed Man Walks With Exoskeleton - Matt Ficarra got married on Oct. 18 to Jordan Basile. He promised to walk down the aisle and did it with the Exoskeleton. Matt Ficarra has been paralyzed from the waist down for three years now.
On Saturday, a paralyzed man, Matt Ficarra, exchanged wedding vows with his bride in the Doubletree Hotell in DeWitt. His goal had been to walk to his bride and got to make it happen with the use of an Exoskeleton.
"Ekso is a wearable bionic suit which enables individuals with any amount of lower extremity weakness to stand up and walk over ground with a natural, full weight bearing, reciprocal gait," is the description of the Exoskeleton Ekso in its page.
Matt Ficarra got paralyzed in a boating accident three years ago. He said that he didn't realize how shallow the water was and before he knew it, he had fallen and couldn't move. He was removed from the water in the last minute.
After this, Ficarra has been driving seven hours weekly to Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network in Allentown, Pa since April this year to learn and practice walking with the Exoskeleton device, according to Syracuse.
Basile and Ficarra got engaged in December 2013 and he has shared that he never envisioned himself wheeling to the aisle, but rather walking.
The family and friends from the bride and groom were very excited about this fact and his father was especially enthralled, sharing that the paralyzed man never stopped trying. He wants something and is determined enough to get it.
Ficarra has also shared how she feels about her now husband and how she will always feel no matter what:
"Walking down the aisle means a lot to him. But for me, it doesn't really matter. He could be sitting or crawling - all that matters to me is that he's by my side."
Ficarra, the paralyzed man who walked with the exoskeleton down the aisle now has his own page to get funds and buy himself the Ekso, and be able to walk every day.
