FREMONT, Neb. — At age 16, Wyatt Spalding has clear goals and ambitions.
He wants to go to college, and become a basketball coach. He wants to qualify in tennis for the Special Olympics World Games and in basketball for the National Games.
Now, with the help of a small device called a WalkAide, the Fremont teen is making more strides toward achieving his goals.
Wyatt and his twin brother, Weston, were born two months prematurely. Wyatt's trachea and esophagus were connected, and trauma from his medical condition led to cerebral palsy. He spent the first seven months of his life in hospitals and had more than 13 operations.
With the cerebral palsy, Wyatt's right arm and hand don't work well and he has a form of lower leg paralysis known as "foot drop." He was outfitted with a type of brace, called an ankle foot orthosis, that allowed for limited motion. The brace could keep Wyatt's foot from dropping when he walked, but it provided more stability than he actually needed and was restricting.
For years Wyatt went to Jim Hastings at Hangar Prosthetics and Orthotics in Omaha. Hastings, an orthotist, would fit Wyatt for his brace. Then, last year, Hastings told Wyatt and his parents, Rick and Mary Jo, about the WalkAide and Aaron Jacobsen, a certified prosthetist orthotist who was joining the Omaha practice.
The WalkAide, which came on the market in 2005, is a unit about the size of an iPod, Jacobsen said. Worn around the calf, just below the knee, the WalkAide sends a gentle electrical impulse that activates the muscle to raise the foot at the right time during the step cycle.
Wyatt was loaned a WalkAide for a trial period that lasted about six weeks. Two weeks after Wyatt got the device, family members were amazed by how much better he moved while playing in a Special Olympics tennis tournament.
The device also helped when Wyatt played football.
"I could run a lot better and throw a lot better," said Wyatt, who played quarterback for the Special Olympics team.
Rick Spalding said the WalkAide gave Wyatt more flexibility — though there was an adjustment period.
Wyatt wore the device for two hours at a time at first, then four hours at a time, and then all day to school. When he came home after school, Wyatt noticed that his foot was sore at first.
"I wasn't used to it," he said. "After a day or two, it didn't really bother me."
With insurance approval, Wyatt got his own device.
"He's been using it like crazy ever since," Jacobsen said.
Research involving functional electrical stimulation began in the 1960s. Last summer, the National Institutes of Health conducted a study with kids who have cerebral palsy and WalkAides and braces.
All the kids chose to keep the WalkAides, Jacobsen said.
What's more, patients are finding that they can wear the device for a period of time and then have more control of their own limb after removing the device.
"The signal goes to the muscle and up to the brain, and so there's some sort of rewiring that's going on," Jacobsen said.
Rick Spalding said Wyatt doesn't have to wear the device all the time and can pick up his foot now. Before, he couldn't.
"It's a lot easier to walk," Wyatt said.
"He's gained more independence," Mary Jo Spalding added.
Wyatt won't be able to stop using the device, Jacobsen said. But over time, he could wear it a certain number of hours per day to get the desired effect.
Jacobsen hopes that with more studies, specialists will find how much time each patient needs to wear the device.
Now the Spaldings want to spread the word about the WalkAide.
"This is something that can really help other people," Rick said. "It's not perfect for everybody, but it works for qualified candidates. It's been great for Wyatt."
Wyatt, who plays intramural and Special Olympics basketball, has found that the device has helped increase his speed on the court. He can get around the Fremont High School campus better. It has helped him in his role as manager of his school's junior varsity basketball team, varsity basketball team (which his brother is on), and the varsity football team. He looks forward to playing high school tennis with the device.
Jacobsen is pleased to see how the WalkAide has helped Wyatt.
"He's a great kid," Jacobsen said. "He's got a great attitude about everything. He takes advantage of every opportunity he has. He's taking every chance he can to improve every day. He's an inspiring kid. He works hard. It's cool."
Wyatt recently demonstrated his sense of humor, saying his favorite subjects in school are P.E. and lunch.
He is serious about his future, however. He tells how he and his brother might coach together someday. He'd like to coach college basketball.
His brother probably would be the head coach and he would be an assistant, but Wyatt doesn't care, just as long as he gets to be a coach.
Rick Spalding smiled as he heard this and noted, "They make a pretty good team."
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