Retired cybersecurity executive, father of three, and spinal cord injury survivor Ted Talis is on a recovery mission. In August 2019, Ted was enjoying more time with his family and a second career in real estate when, late one evening after work, he tripped i n the front steps leading to his house. “I tried to regain my footing but fell backward and landed in the driveway,” recounts Ted. “I laid there the entire night, unable to reach my phone to call for help.A friend found me the next morning.”

Ted had sustained a spinal cord injury. After weeks in the hospital, he transferred to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, where he began his recovery and regained some movement in his left hand and arm. “After three months, my right hand, however, remained frozen in a claw shape,” recalls Ted.

During rehabilitation, Ted heard about groundbreaking research at Kessler Foundation, made possible by your generous support. “I joined multiple studies. The third study, working with Dr. Ghaith Androwis and the MyoPro robot, changed my life.

Ted found it intriguing to use his intentions while training in the wearable robotic brace. “Using my thoughts to move my upper body was miraculous and empowering,” Ted reports. “The physical therapist on Dr. Androwis’s team advised it might take six weeks to learn how to activate movements, but I made it my mission to do better. When the study concluded, I could grasp and throw a ball with my once-locked right hand,” declares Ted.

Today, with greatly improved upper extremity mobility, especially in his right hand and fingers, Ted lives a more independent life. “I’m enjoying retirement and able to drive myself again. I’m grateful to Kessler Foundation and the donors who support this life-changing research so that I can continue my mission,” concludes Ted.