When Lakeland firefighter Steve Connors woke one December morning with tingling in his hands and feet, he knew something was wrong — and told his wife to drive him straight to Tampa General Hospital. What started as inexplicable weakness rapidly became life-threatening, eventually paralyzing his entire body; he was unable to walk, eat, speak, or even breathe on his own. Doctors diagnosed Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks the nerves.
As part of his recovery at Tampa General's Rehabilitation Center, Steve trained on Aretech's ZeroG Gait and Balance System with an integrated treadmill. Because the harness rides an overhead track, he and his therapist had the reassurance that he was secure and couldn't fall — the confidence he needed to push his limits. As TGH physical therapist Manuel Garcia-Gaona notes, the system is fully secure and supports patients up to 400 pounds; what once took three therapists to assist now takes just one.
Through hard work and extensive physical therapy, Steve relearned how to eat and walk and is steadily rebuilding his strength. Now in outpatient rehab twice a week and a vocal advocate for the ZeroG, he has his sights set on returning to what he loves — serving as a Lakeland firefighter.