“Life can be just as interesting and fulfilling [despite your injury], if you let it.”
— Samantha Summers
Samantha’s life completely changed in 2018 when a car made a left turn in front of her when she was cycling in Boulder, Colorado, leaving her a T7 complete paraplegic.
She was quickly introduced to Restorative Therapies at Craig Hospital, where she was on the RT300 system for 30 minutes per day, 3 days a week during her therapy.
Samantha was very relieved when her legs responded, since she was warned they might not.
“My legs responded very well to the stimulation,” she said. “My quads are still huge!”
The device also made a big difference for her mentally after being injured, since it was the only way she saw her legs moving pre-spasticity.
While at Craig Hospital, Samantha decided that she wanted her own device, so she ordered an in-home device and had it ready for her to set-up before she even returned home.
“I didn’t want to drive all the way to Craig Hospital to use the device for 30 minutes as well as have the additional cost of use. It’s very convenient to have it at home and wind-down using it while watching TV,” she said.
Since receiving a device for her home, Samantha has seen many benefits. The RT300 helps her temporarily relieve her spasticity after using the device, giving her approximately 1 hour of relief.
Now a graduate student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, Samantha plans to use her degree to study neurological diseases and trauma. She also hopes to participate in the Paralympics (sport undecided).
“Ultimately, I just want to live a fulfilling life despite my permanent injury.”
And that she will.
“Life can be just as interesting and fulfilling [despite your injury], if you let it,” she said.
Follow Samantha’s journey on Instagram.
