Paralyzed In Car Accident, OSU Student Gets Chance To Walk Again

An Oklahoma State University student is getting ready for a big award and she'll accept it by taking her first steps in nearly two years.

"I was on my way home from Stillwater," 22-year-old Mary Beth Davis said. "Flipped my truck, broke my neck and work and school and now I'm here,"  

Davis is in a wheelchair after an accident two years ago that left her paralyzed.

"It'll be two years in about a week.

This week, Davis is walking again with the help of this Ekso Bionic suit and her therapists at Integris.

"Somebody is cueing you, so it helps with the weight shift side by side," she explained. "You get tired but it's worth it. It's like an exercise…you get something out of it."

7/25/2012 Related Story: New Technology Allows Wheelchair-Bound Patients Chance To Walk

Davis says walking again is an awesome experience, but it's not what defines her.

"I didn't think this would ever be a next. There's no telling."

Saturday, Davis will use the bionic suit to walk across a stage to accept the Jim Thorpe Courage Ambassador Award.

Davis says her life plans did not really change when she lost the ability to walk; when she starts classes on Monday at Oklahoma State, she won't have the suit.

"Keep working with this, go to school and who knows what's next," she said.

Davis loves animals and has wanted to be a veterinarian for as long as she can remember. She says she appreciates this opportunity.