'Bionic' suit helps paralyzed walk again

The big smile spread across Brian Pinkow's face Tuesday said it all as the paraplegic rose to his feet before a crowd at a rehabilitation center in Roosevelt.

"It feels great," said Pinkow, 31, of Syosset, after the demonstration.

The bionic suit he was wearing -- a computer-aided motorized exoskeleton -- gave him hope that someday he'll walk again. A former halfback on Syosset High's football team, he was 17 years old when a car accident left him paralyzed from the chest down.

The crash occurred on a rainy afternoon on May 25, 1997. He was riding with two friends when the driver lost control and hit a tree.

"After 14 years of sitting down, I feel like I don't want to ever sit down again," he said.

The device, called ReWalk, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last November for use in rehabilitation centers, said Dan Bellapianta of Argo Medical Technologies, the device's manufacturer.

The private company, based in Israel, has sold 10 units so far, eight to facilities in the United States, he said.

The Fortunoff Treatment and Rehabilitation Center at the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County has purchased two of the devices, each costing about $86,000. Therapists hope to help patients rise from their wheelchairs and eventually walk and climb stairs.

Tuesday, Pinkow watched in amazement as Agnes Fejerdy, 36, of Philadelphia -- who had also been paralyzed in a car crash -- walked effortlessly across the room.

He couldn't help but also feel a little jealous.

"I just can't wait to get there," he said excitedly.

Fejerdy, who has completed 24 training sessions, tapped her wrist control, instructing the device to help her sit, stand and walk. A computer tucked inside a backpack sent signals to the robotic attachments on her legs and arms.

The body brace has two motors at the hips and two more at the knees. Crutches help with balance.

A battery pack allows users up to 3 1/2 hours of walking time, Bellapianta said.

Argo Medical Technologies is currently seeking FDA approval for a version of the device intended for home use that would cost about half as much, Bellapianta said.

Pinkow, a professional poker player who graduated from Hofstra in 2005 and lives with his girlfriend, is now looking forward to another recovery milestone: taking a walk around the block.

"That's a dream of mine," he said.