Day Two: Walking Again!

We were instructed to return at 4 PM to meet Jan's new brace. Thirty hours after entering the Hanger Clinic for the first time, Ryan Blanck (the IDEO wizard) put the custom-designed, carbon fiber brace on Jan's right foot and said, "OK, stand up and walk!"

After a few trips down a runway with handrails, Jan went out with Ryan and me for a long walk around the grounds: an enormous parking lot, then a gravel path that went up and down, and then 10 minutes of walking up and down steps. (It has been several years since she walked on irregular ground without pain, or walked up stairs more than one step at a time.) "Swing your arms, and walk like you mean it!" Ryan encouraged her. He reminded Jan that she would need to learn to walk with her whole body again. With a PT's help, that work will begin tomorrow.

I laughed and took photos, and Jan walked on the verge of tears for over an hour. She concentrated on where her foot went, focused on lowering her shoulders and raising her head. Jan was like a toddler learning to walk for the first time! We ended the session with a short waltz.

See Jan's first baby steps in the video below!