A serious accident changed Jessica's life forever: she suffered a spinal cord injury and became confined to a wheelchair. However, years later, thanks to modern technology, she was able to stand on her feet again.
"If you have health, you have everything," says 27-year-old American Jessica Tavil.
More than ten years ago, she was involved in a serious car accident that left her completely without sensation in her lower body. The injury turned out to be extremely severe.
"I damaged my spinal cord, and since then I haven't felt my lower body. The surgery lasted five hours: they installed 11 long screws and two titanium rods because my spine was severely damaged. But I was lucky — I survived," Jessica shared on social media.
The most difficult year was the first one after the tragedy. The pain was not only physical but also emotional. It was hard for the young girl to accept her new reality and dependence on others.
"I have to use special tubes to go to the bathroom. I can't take a shower by myself, I can't visit certain places, I have breathing problems. And the hardest part is that I can't be independent. I constantly need someone’s help," she wrote. "I would give anything to return to my previous 'normal' life. But I believe that one day it will happen."
It took ten years for those words to become a reality. And now that moment has come — Jessica was able to stand up and take her first steps.
An exoskeleton helped her — a high-tech device that supports the body and allows a person to stand and move.
There are several types of such systems. Some are controlled by buttons or special controllers attached to the hands. Others are equipped with sensors that read the movements of the upper body — for example, a tilt or shift in the center of gravity — and send a signal to the device, activating it.
When Jessica first stood up and took a step, she couldn't contain her emotions — she screamed and stopped.
"Sorry, give me a second," she said at that moment.
Later, the girl admitted that she was truly scared.
Then she was asked to turn around.
"Turn around," they told her.
"What does it mean to turn around? How do I do that?" Jessica was confused. But after a few joystick movements, the exoskeleton turned her in the other direction.
"At that moment, I felt truly alive," she recalled later.
The video of the girl taking her first steps quickly spread across the internet and garnered millions of views.
Users did not hide their emotions. In the comments, they wrote:
"If billions were invested in such technologies instead of being spent on flights to Mars, the world would be a much better place."
Jessica's story has become an inspiration for thousands of people and a reminder of how technology can change lives.
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