{"id":560,"date":"2026-08-04T04:44:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:44:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=560"},"modified":"2026-08-04T04:44:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:44:23","slug":"a-chance-to-walk-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=560","title":{"rendered":"A chance to walk again"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Before losing the use of his legs, Veteran Edward Afanador served in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, and was a part of the response to the collapse of the World Trade Center. Years later, Afanador was diagnosed with distal motor sensory axonal polyneuropathy, which over time causes the loss of the ability to walk.<\/p>\n

Afanador was recently given the chance to walk again when the Wilmington VA<\/a> Prosthetics Department invited him to be a part of a trial for a device called a microprocessor-controlled C-brace.<\/p>\n

The C-brace \u201cis similar to an exoskeleton,\u201d said Corey Smith, Wilmington VA chief of Prosthetics. \u201cIt makes the limbs capable of standing and swinging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Afanador was reluctant to try the device at first. \u201cI fall a lot, so it is hard trying something new because I wanted to limit my falls, but I decided I didn\u2019t want to just live with not being able to walk. I said, let\u2019s try, I\u2019ll do whatever\u2019s needed to be done. We Veterans have to try to progress or else we can get stuck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Previously, Afanador had struggled with PTSD as well as the loss of his ability to walk. He was fortunate to get help from a group of Vietnam Veterans. That experience inspired him to give back to his fellow Veterans through various VA and non-VA programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt starts with talking and listening without judgement,\u201d said Afanador. \u201cIt\u2019s not about how many people I have helped but how many have helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Afanador went on to represent Wilmington VA at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games<\/a> in Philadelphia and joined a peer mentoring, camaraderie and support program to help Veterans in crisis.<\/p>\n

Giving back<\/h2>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about giving back, that has always been my mantra,\u201d said Afanador. \u201cYou invest in them and it comes back ten-fold, it becomes cathartic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to his new C-brace, Afanador has become more active in the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has reinvigorated me to be out there,\u201d said Afanador. \u201cFor the longest time I had to be in a chair or carry a cane, so it pulls you away from things. Now that I can walk, it changes everything. It makes me want to be more involved and be out with everyone. I can carry things, and I can stand up straight. It\u2019s a new lease on life.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was even able to tour college campuses with his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been afforded an opportunity most don\u2019t get,\u201d said Afanador. \u201cYou have no idea the difference it makes. It\u2019s a new lease on life.\u201d<\/p>\n

For assistance with prosthetics<\/a>, contact your VA primary care provider.<\/p>\n

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This article was originally published on the Wilmington VA Medical Center <\/a>and has been edited for style and clarity.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Topics in this story<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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distal motor sensory axonal polyneuropathy<\/a>Prosthetics<\/a>Walk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Link Disclaimer<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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This page includes links to other websites outside our control and jurisdiction. VA is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of non-VA Web sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy or terms and conditions of those sites to fully understand what information is collected and how it is used.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Source: Prosthetics \u2013 VA News<\/a><\/p>\n

Source: Prosthetics \u2013 VA News<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Veteran Edward Afanador was recently given the chance to walk again when the Wilmington VA Prosthetics Department invited him to be a part of a trial for a device called a microprocessor-controlled C-brace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=560"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":773,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560\/revisions\/773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}