High Points: Bridging Bionics — 10 years of miracles

Ten years. Twenty-three thousand and three hundred-plus therapy sessions. One million steps.

A decade ago, Amanda Boxtel had a vision that she could bring mobility and movement to people who had lost the ability to walk as the result of neurological impairment. Few people realize visions that exceed their dreams.

But today, those numbers prove that Amanda Boxtel has truly done just that.

It is a reality that Boxtel knows well, having lost the use of her lower limbs over 33 years ago in a skiing accident on Snowmass. Since that time, she has dedicated her life to exploring, acquiring, and sharing the most advanced technologies available for those whose lives have been similarly challenged. Perhaps most spectacular has been the improvement in exoskeletons, which allow people to walk despite extreme physical impairments. 

For 10 years now, the Bridging Bionics Foundation, the organization that Boxtel established on Oct. 19, 2015, has been changing the lives of individuals who have suffered loss of movement by giving the gift of mobility. Based in Carbondale, Bridging Bionics has provided physical therapy, neuromuscular training systems, bionic exoskeletons, and other advanced technologies for free or close to it for hundreds of clients. Many who couldn’t walk before the founding of Bridging Bionics have regained the power to take meaningful steps.

Today, the Bridging Bionics Foundation is not only one of the Roaring Fork Valley’s most inspiring non-profits, but has also been internationally recognized for the work they have done. In 2018, while still in its nascent stages, CNN’s Anderson Cooper recognized Boxtel and Bridging Bionics as CNN Heroes. Boy, if they could see her now. 

This Sunday, exactly 10 years to the day of their providing their first physical therapy sessions, Bridging Bionics is hosting an anniversary celebration (by invitation only) at their new facility, the Center for Neurorehabilitation, in Carbondale. Since it opened last December, the space has become a place of hope for those who work to create miracles through the therapy offered there.

In their decade of programming, Bridging Bionics has gifted more than 23,300 physical therapy sessions to clients with neurological conditions. They have provided clients with the resources they need to improve their ability to function and walk. The organization serves, on average, 77 clients per month, ranging in ages from 3 to 90 years old. And 64% of the client base face financial hardship and are on scholarship, while the remainder pay an initiation fee of just $500. This gives them the opportunity to work with the staff of therapists and use more than $1.5 million worth of cutting-edge technology, including the new KineAssist treadmill that provides a safe walking experience. Due to the advances at the facility in Carbondale, Bridging Bionics increased their gifted physical therapy sessions per month to 300 and have grown the number of clients they support by 30%.

An anniversary is neither a beginning nor an end but rather a moment to stop and assess the good that has been accomplished and acknowledge those who have been a part of the journey over the last decade.

Bridging Bionics’ enduring success would not have been possible without the hard work of the therapists like Maria Grufstedt and Debbie Weidemann, who have been the backbone of the organization for 10 years since it first opened in a small space in the Aspen Club. They put in the day-to-day labor, interacting with clients as they progress to the point where some actually graduate from the program. Grufstedt and Weidemann lead a staff that provides the hands-on skills to help their clients work toward, and achieve, their goals and dreams.

No nonprofit organization can function without a committed and dedicated staff and volunteers. Rebecca Harrell has been part of Bridging Bionics since the beginning and helped it flourish for a decade. Volunteers have also played an integral role, including Jane Luginbuhl, who was honored this year by receiving the Pitkin County Cares Volunteer Service Health Award.

But, of course, no one in the Bridging Bionics family makes as much of an impact as the clients themselves, who have put in the effort to make the program work for them and for others. Since the beginning, people like Tim Burr, Mackenzie Langley, Max Grange, Danielle Coulter, and Adam Lavender have set a standard of relentless dedication on their personal journeys. They have inspired others in their own quests.

It’s been an amazing 10 years for Bridging Bionics. We can’t wait to see what’s next.