Paralyzed woman hikes the Appalachian Trail
NELSON COUNTY, Va. (WSET) -- Meet Ohio native, Stacy Kozel, she is hiking more than 2,000 miles through the Appalachian Trail. But, what makes her story so unique? She suffers from paralysis, yet remains determined to complete the monstrous journey.
Only one in four hikers that set out to complete the task of hiking the trail actually makes it all the way through. Kozel says it may take her a little bit longer, but she has no doubt that she will get it done... one step at a time.
And, with every step, she continues to defy the odds. "After being in the hospital, I decided life is too short," explained Kozel. Two years ago she became paralyzed - a side effect of Lupus. The auto immune disease attacked her nervous system leaving her bedridden. "All I could do was move my left arm a little bit I couldn't roll over, I couldn't breathe... I couldn't do anything," said Kozel.
But, now she's making her lifelong dream a reality. Kozel is almost halfway through the 2,200 mile hike along the Appalachian Trail. Something her doctors doubted would ever happen.
"I knew I needed to get outdoors even if I had to roll around somehow it was going to happen." And that somehow came in the form of computer generated leg supports, known as C-braces, which help her navigate the rough terrain.
"It knows when I need my knee bent and when I need it to be straight basically," explained Kozel. "Without these I'm in a wheelchair definitely not going up mountains." These braces are making Kozel's lengthy journey a lot safer and a tad bit easier, so she can focus on what matters most. "The scenery out here is awesome, but it's the people out here that are really cool."
When Kozel hikes she always has her braces, a backpack and her story to share with whoever crosses her path. She hopes by sharing her challenges, it will challenge others to keep moving forward. "I just hope whatever anyone is going through something similar or completely different we don't know what the future holds," said Kozel.
Kozel says the leg braces costs $75,000 apiece. She says she urges other paralyzed people to talk to their insurance about helping with the cost saying the braces have changed her quality of life.