Joe Henderson, chief executive of Henderson Insurance Broking Group has initiated a coast to coast bike ride to benefit a local woman who had to be wheelchair bound following a serious car accident that left her paralysed from the chest down five years ago.

Henderson and his friends, colleagues and clients will ride the 160 cross country miles from Whitehaven to Sunderland to raise £65,000 to cover the cost of a “ReWalk exoskeleton.” The exoskeleton is a robotic device that would allow Emily Storer, the beneficiary, to walk and stand again despite the paralysis in her lower body.

“I can honestly say it was the most incredible experience. My friends and family who saw me in it just said the smile on my face said it all! The benefits you gain from using it are huge, both mentally and physically. The only thing holding me back from having one of these devices to benefit me is the cost,” Storer told the Yorkshire Post in a report.

She is optimistic that Henderson’s initiative will help her cover the cost of the device. The report said Storer spent five months in Pinderfields hospital, Wakefield, learning the basics of living life as a full time wheelchair user.


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