‘I simply want to live a life without pain,’ says Eabha

A young biochemistry student with cerebral palsy is attempting to raise funds to buy a bionic walking device that would enable her to continue her studies and to complete subsequent laboratory work.

University College Cork student, Eabha Wall, has been accepted as a suitable candidate for the US ExoSym device. It was originally used by wounded soldiers. Eabha (22) requires the device for both of her legs and will need €21,000 to complete the fitting process. She spends a lot of time in a wheelchair and would like to be mobile every day.

In an interview on Cork’s Red FM, Eabha said the ExoSym would help her to cope with the constant endurance test that is walking: “The ExoSym was developed by a team in Seattle and we have nothing like them in Ireland. It is a new technology, which is a hybrid between a prosthetic and a brace. So, they are designed to redistribute how I would weight bear, which would help me walk better.”