She Can’t Walk on Her Own – but Completed a Full Marathon in Her Exoskeleton

Theresa Vereline, retired Army sergeant, was a one-of-a-kind competitor at this year’s New York City Marathon: after running 26.2 miles through all five boroughs, she became the first paralyzed citizen in the United States to complete a marathon.

“Words cannot express the feelings I had crossing the finish line,” says Vereline. “This has been a dream of mine, and I hope I can serve as an inspiration to others that you too can achieve what seems like the impossible — especially all of the disabled children I meet across the country.”

Vereline was able to complete this achievement thanks to help from a ReWalk 5.0 exoskeleton suit which, according to a post on Facebook, she refers to as Ditto. Vereline lost her ability to walk by her own being exposed to chemicals while serving in the Vietnam war.

“We are incredibly proud of her. Her achievement at the marathon and her efforts to help others with disability are inspirations to us all,” says ReWalk’s vice president of marketing, Andy Dolan, in an e-mail to CNET.