Yeah I find the Rex legs are really easy to
use in a sense, like, it took us about 3 days
to sort of get myself fitted properly and
up and walking around.
So, I mean, from someone that hasn't walked
for 5 years, I would have expected it to have
taken longer, but it didn't.
And then once you know the functionality and
the movement of the actual legs, it becomes
extremely easy, yeah.
Generally when I go to jump in the Rex, I'll
wheel my wheelchair so it's at a 90 degree
angle with the machine and then I just make
sure that all of the straps are clear, that
I'm not going to go sitting on any buckles,
so then, obviously it makes it a little bit
difficult if you're sitting on a buckle to
do it up.
Self-transfer by holding onto the legs of
Rex and just lift myself across to get my
own legs sitting in the cuffs and then from
there, it's sort of 5 minutes all up to get
yourself strapped up and ready to go.
So, not long at all, yeah.
Once you understand, like, the movement, I
think, of the machine, like, understanding,
like, what actions happening in that step
first - OK, so you're going to lean to the
left before that leg lifts off - once you're
used to all that sort of stuff and realise
what's actually happening, it's really easy
to get used to, aye.
The experience of getting back onto two legs,
or, you know, two feet, so to speak, and,
you know, walking around, it's been a real
big experience in the sense, it throws you
a hundred million emotions all in one day,
sort of thing, you know, that you didn't expect
to sort of go through.
You sort of thin, yeah ya know, we're gonna
get back walking, but you don't expect it
to sort of take your breath away the way it
does.
And, you go home after having a good go in
it and just all these possibilities of what
you're going to be able to do again it just
keeps you coming back to it.
So, it's, yeah, it's really emotional, but
really fantastic at the same time.
I've found a lot of benefits from Rex, personally,
myself, with my bladder.
When you're sitting in a wheelchair your body
doesn't move around so much, so the water
inside's not washing all your internal sides
of the bladder, so you're prone to getting
infections, whereas now that I've had time
in the Rex, I don't seem to be getting those
complications anymore, so that's been a real
big bonus for myself.
But there's other benefits that I'm gaining
from it as well, with my legs, cause I'm 6
foot 3 tall, or 6'4" we can't really tell
anymore, having my legs stretched out all
the time and my hips and all the muscles,
sort of being moved, blood circulation coming
back, you know.
I race motorbikes, so I'm quite prone to getting
grazes and stuff like that, and they heal
a lot quicker than they did before.
So, just a lot of small things like that in
my life have really changed since using Rex.
I can see a lot of times for use.
Cause, I'm in a car club, you know, it'll
be a big benefit for social aspects, just
being able to talk to everyone at the same
eye-level and, you know, walk around to a
bar table, or, you know, stand up to someone
when spoken to at a board meeting, or stuff
like that.
So, social life-wise, yeah.
Rex in a sense is a hobbie, and work-life,
I spend a lot of time racing motorbikes and
working on my own cars, and things like that,
so when it comes time to making stuff like
that we're always working at the bench, obviously,
but a lot of the machinery is always bolted
to the benches like grinders and finishers
and stuff like that, and when you notice that
they're always at your head height, so if
anything gets spit off it goes straight to
your face, so I can't wait to get back to,
using it at a normal height, where, you know,
you're not at risk the whole time.
And being able to reach, you know, like it's
annoying having all your tools having to sit
on your bench, I'd like to hang them back
up on the walls, you know, so, giving myself
a bit more working space.
Being able to grab stuff off the walls and
stuff like that, for where you store all your
tools, it'd be really good to just, in general
use sort of give me those freedoms again.
Even like going to see the girlfriend, she's
got five stairs to get into her place, so
it'd be nice to actually walk into her place
one time instead of having to self-bum-myself
up the stairs, you know, like one stair at
a time and have her laughing her head off
at me, especially when it's pouring down with
rain.
My day-to-day life is generally, you know,
like, revolves, obviously, around your essentials
of getting up in the morning, showering, getting
dressed, going to work, coming home, working
on my bike, then cooking yourself dinner and
stuff like that.
So, it'd be nice, you know, like to get up
in the morning and know that you don't have
to get someone to grab you a towel off the
top shelf.
It was quite funny, cause everyone's trying
to tell me to look in the mirror and, you
know, like, watch the movement and get familiar
with it, and I just couldn't bloody look up.
I spent the whole time looking at my legs
moving, ahahaha.
So, yeah, it was just, that blew me away,
just seeing, you know like, I told the doctors
when I had my accident, I'm gonna walk again.
I didn't realise I was gonna walk in a robot,
but, hey, you know, like, this is just blown
me away, being able to watch the one foot
in front of the other again, it's just, yeah.
Couldn't ask for a better feeling.
