That is the genuine reaction
from a person who is getting
to do something so many of us
take for granted every single dy
moving our legs under our contr.
That's the first time she's
done that in 20-3 years, truly,
obviously life changing.
And that's her progress tonight
as part of an ongoing study here
at home at Hennepin Healthcare.
And the goal of the study is
to help folks who are paralyzed
get some of their mobility back.
And maybe one day start walking again.
Here's Gordon.
In the world
of academic research, there are
thousands of studies and thousas
of patients like Crystal LeBeau.
No, I've actually felt
really good this month. But
few patients and even fewer stus
are seeing results like this,
a simple movement that many
of us take for granted.
But for Crystal, this is all yo.
Crystal. These legs haven't
moved for more than 23
years. When I was at the scene
of the car accident, we knew.
I mean, I couldn't feel anything
from my chest down. So yeah,
all right, deep breath for me.
Since then, Crystal has appliedr
nearly every study she could fi.
And every time her application s
denied until now, she's really,
I think, our furthest out from injury. Dr.
David Darrow. Exactly.
Is the lead investigator
of the East and study.
All right, let me try this.
Where doctors surgically implant
a device near the patient's
spine and use tiny amounts of
electricity to restore movement.
See if you can try to get some independence.
Keep going. Yeah.
Doctors say it's all about
finding that sweet spot,
both extend and Flex. The
settings on the device are nearly endless.
So they're constantly testing
new patterns to see what works,
to rebuild connections between
Crystal's brain and the lower
half of her body. Two days
after the surgery, she wanted to
be up running around, you know,
running a marathon or something.
Yep, that's me.
I'm trying to be patient.
She and her husband, Dustin have 4 kids.
They also own a restaurant,
and Crystal pretty much does everything,
including waiting tables.
Which has become a bit of a challenge
since her legs have started movg
again. So if I have a tray on
my lap with food or drinks
and my legs will kick up.
The other day the tray kicked
up and hit me in the face.
A small price to pay for everytg
she has gained these past two months.
The first time she was,
I think she just wiggled a toe,
you know, and it was just.
Kind of overwhelming.
And Crystal isn't alone.
What we found is, sure enough,
in 20 out of 20 patients or so,
we see significant effects
across the board, Dr.
Darrow says. It's more than
just moving their legs.
Live your life, yeah.
Many patients have also
seen better circulation,
sexual function and more control
over their bowels and bladders.
Being able to use the bathroom like a
normal person, it's a big deal to me.
I always had to use catheters
for 23 years, and now I don't.
Darrow and his team are now buig
a case to get FDA approval.
They want to enroll at least 20
more patients so they can show w
well their procedure works. Well
then my job is convincing
insurance companies to pay for ,
which is a big job.
But we think that the results are robust
enough and the cost is reasonab.
This will be the last one
overtime. Dr. Darrow is hoping
to bring this procedure to more
patients like Crystal who dreamf
taking her first step in 23 yea.
Everything's shaken. And
maybe even walking again.
I'll get there one day.
It might just take a long time.
That's all. Gordon
Severson, Carol Evan news. Well,
it'll be worth the wait.
Crystal and her husband
live in the state of Ohio,
and they drive to Minneapolis
now once a month to do this.
The doctors say their goal is to
eventually have patients working
with doctors and their own community.
So everybody has access to
something like that.
Really incredible stuff.