Travis’s WalkAide

Please help us raise funds to purchase a life-changing WalkAide system for our dear friend Travis Calloway. This is an invaluable piece of medical equipment that would vastly improve Travis' mobility and, over time, empower him to accomplish more in his daily life than what he might otherwise be able to achieve without it.
Travis' Story:
Anyone who's met Travis knows him to be a driven, dedicated, and incredibly kind person. Over a decade ago, while playing college football at Eastern Washington University, his dreams of professional football were inexplicably crushed by a devastating injury that caused multi-level breakage to his lumbar spine. At 37 years old, Travis has had over 40 titanium screws and rods installed and removed from his body, has undergone over 43 serious spinal surgeries, and has been paralyzed from the waist-down on four separate occasions as a result of his injuries. With hard work and dedication, he has regained feeling and mobility, but still requires the assistance of medical braces and devices to continue leading a full life. At this time, these devices still have their limitations.

He currently wears a KAFO leg/foot brace on his left leg and foot and an AFO on his right calf and foot. He has had two intrathecal pain pumps implanted in his body, and most recently a spinal cord stimulator implanted as well. All of these things have been integral in helping Travis recover from his debilitating injuries, but a WalkAide system is more advanced and would enable Travis to accomplish a great deal more in his rehabilitation. In Travis' own words: “my world would be completely changed for the better in more ways than I could count”.
Today, Travis works hard coaching high school football – mentoring youth athletes and offering them the support, insight, and encouragement they need to fulfill dreams of their own. He is happily married and lives life to its fullest, maintaining an always-positive outlook that inspires others on a daily basis. In spite of his optimism, however, he often finds it difficult to keep up with the kids at practice – and there are areas of his life that would be undeniably better were he given access to the right kind of medical equipment: the kind that could not only help him move around more-easily and with less pain, but would help train his body for a better recovery.
As stated on its official web site (www.walkaide.com), the WalkAide system is an “FDA cleared medical device that leverages functional electrical stimulation (FES) to improve walking ability”. Where Travis' braces act as a band-aid of sorts for his foot drop, WalkAide is a device that actually helps treat the condition. Electrical Stimulation opens the door for muscle regeneration, improving gait mechanics, increasing range of motion, and so on. With the WalkAide system, Travis would have the possibility of actually being able to move around again without the assistance of a cane. It would also improve strength in his right leg, making it possible for him to exercise more (enabling his rehabilitation even further), and for him to drive again without the assistance of hand controls.

Most importantly, the WalkAide system would help instill a confidence that Travis feels has long been lost while learning to rely on others for help with daily essential life activities. Personal independence is incredibly valuable to Travis, and regaining that personal independence has been a goal of his since his original injury. Please help us make this a possibility for him.
We're hoping to raise as much money as we can to help Travis and his family purchase this $6,000 piece of medical equipment. Your contributions have the ability to change a man's life for the better, and Travis is truly deserving.
Thank you so much for reading Travis' story. His friends and loved ones (and of course Travis himself) are incredibly grateful for any amount of support you're able to give.