SISTERS — In Erik Himbert’s mind, his feet feel the ground beneath him and his legs move one in front of the other.

For a moment, the mechanical sound of the oversized braces strapped around his legs fades into the background. He’s walking.

“Once I get going, I’m walking normally in my mind,” said Himbert, a 46-year-old Sisters resident. “The zzut zzut sound reminds me I’m a robot.”

For a long time, walking seemed unthinkable.

Himbert was injured 15 years ago while snowboarding. Then 31, he took a jump at full speed, expecting to land in powder snow. He landed on ice instead. Immediately he knew he was injured because he couldn’t feel his legs.

Himbert suffered a spinal injury that has forced him to live his life in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down. It’s been a challenge, not only physically, but mentally. He said the hardest part of living after the injury was giving up the independence and learning to accept help.

“I had lived a whole life of independence,” Himbert said. “Then I was in the hospital and I took on a whole new life.”

Himbert is so independent that he won’t accept help from a neighbor offering to shovel snow from his driveway.

After the accident, Himbert explored avenues to becoming mobile again that well-meaning friends and family have shared with him. He would email companies to ask about a product, only to hear nothing in return.

That changed about a year ago when he heard about Lifeward, a company that makes robotic braces that use a battery pack and motors at the hip and knee joints help people to walk.

“It was huge,” Himbert said. “The whole process went down with me doing a trial. It feels very natural with me walking around.”

The zzut, zzut of robotic legs

Himbert was lucky because at the same time, Lifeward, the makers of ReWalk Robotics Ltd., had obtained approval for insurance coverage by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Normally, the robotic legs would cost anywhere from $81,929 to $109,000. With the approval for coverage, Himbert was able to have his Medicare pay for the device because it’s considered a brace. He is among 800 people worldwide using the ReWalk Personal Exoskeleton, according to the company’s website.

“The ReWalk Personal Exoskeleton is designed for everyday use in real world environments, including locations with stairs and curbs,” said Mollie Godbout, senior media relations strategist for the company. “Each individual receives extensive training to ensure that they master the skills needed to walk in home and community environments so that they can use their device in the way that best fits their needs and goals.”

Himbert had already tried to find a way to improve his mobility by creating a wheelchair that helped him stand in 2016. He had visions that he could refine his crude prototype and other spinal injury patients could duplicate his work. In addition to the wheelchair adaptations, Himbert, built hand controls he uses to drive his cars.

“One thing that was impressed upon me when I was first got hurt was that I could either stay in bed and feel sorry for myself, or I could get out and start living,” Himbert said. “It’s still frustrating at times, but I live a life that’s different.”

Now that wheelchair gathers dust in his garage.

Himbert’s neighbor, Rick Retzman, was among the first to walk with him. The two learned how to tweak the 70-pounds of equipment that is strapped onto Himbert’s back and legs. The equipment is adaptable to Himbert’s stride, his weight and height.

“It was life changing for Erik,” said Retzman. “He’s been sitting on his butt for 15 years and humans are not designed to sit for extended periods of time. Every time I walk with him, my own feet don’t touch the ground I’m so excited. I’ve seen him change because of this.”

There is joy in Himbert’s face and hope, Retzman said. The pair have been out together on barrier-free trails by Camp Sherman and to the Whychus Creek Scenic Overlook trailhead, Retzman said.

The exoskeleton technology is part of a suite of products offered by Lifeward, a publicly traded company, that help people with mobility. The company, founded in 2001, spent more than a decade perfecting the exoskeleton technology, according to the company website.

The ReWalk technology has powered hips and knee motion and adjustable ankle joints that enable people with spinal cord injuries to stand upright and walk. The robotic legs are attached to the body from the armpits down to the ankles, Retzman said. A battery and computer is in a backpack and motors are attached to the hips and knees, he said.

“Walking around with him is like watching a kid learning to walk,” Retzman said. “Now he’s smoother as he walks and doesn’t need to rely on a companion for balance.”

Learning to walk again

Since the accident, Himbert has handled issues with blood flow, bone density, bacterial infections and muscle atrophy. He has addressed these health issues through massage and stretching.

“It’s always in my mind to not just help myself, but to open the door for someone else,” Himbert said. “You have to figure out how to make life happen.”

He is out walking his neighborhood at least four times a week in his exoskeleton with a companion at his side. He’s cobbled together a team of friends and family members to be his companions when he goes walking with the exoskeleton.

The goal is to stretch out the muscles, shifting his weight from one leg to another.

“It’s like relearning how to walk,” Himbert said. “In the beginning I relied on a companion to keep me balanced. Often the exoskeleton can go longer than I can. A lot depends on my fatigue. I can stand for 15 to 20 minutes now.”

It’s like a workout, he said. It’s both mentally and physically challenging, but difficult for a guy who doesn’t like to ask for help, he said.

“I have a level of stubbornness. I use it for good and not for evil now,” Himbert said. “That’s turned into determination. I don’t want to blame my circumstances on anyone. I want to find a solution.”