Springbok rugby legend Joost van der Westhuizen, who enthralled crowds with his agility on the field, had them mesmerised once again when he walked on to the Ellis Park pitch aided by a US military-built “exoskeleton suit”.
Van der Westhuizen, who has motor neuron disease which affects a person’s voluntary muscle activity such as speaking, walking and breathing, has been confined to a wheelchair for several months.
On Saturday before the Boks took on New Zealand, Van der Westhuizen, accompanied by his two children, was met by a cheering crowd who not only paid tribute to one of South Africa’s great rugby players, but his enduring courage in the face of a debilitating disease.
He earned 89 caps playing for the Springboks and is to be inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.
Joost who once zipped around the field, made his way around slowly in the exoskeleton suit.
The former Springbok star was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2011. This was a turning point in his life, with simple daily tasks becoming a monumental effort for him.
Through e-mail correspondence, Van der Westhuizen said he felt humbled by the support of the crowd on Saturday. He said the past few years had been humbling for him.
The former Springbok said he has been using the suit for physical conditioning.
“It helps with training, posture, blood flow, digestion and it feels awesome to walk again,” he wrote.
The suit is from Just Walk Bionics, a rehabilitation centre in Rivonia, Joburg. The centre opened its doors in June last year and imported the suit from Ekso bionics in the US.
It was originally developed as a military exoskeleton called the Human Universal Load Carrier, and was meant to help soldiers carry heavy loads across long and rough terrain.
The suit weighs about 23kg but the user does not carry the weight, which is transferred to the ground.
Co-founder of Just Walk Bionics, Justin Jeffery, said the response to the exoskeleton has been good, and more than 150 people in South Africa have used it so far.
“One guy in a wheelchair for 20 years used it and was all smiles when he could walk” said Jeffery.
The suits are used for therapy and are not available for personal use. Jeffery said one of the reasons for this was because of the high cost. - Daily News