Elizabeth Zopff, CO

Technology Can Help Those Paralyzed By West Nile Virus
Device Called Ness L300

By Jane Slater, 7NEWS Reporter
POSTED: 4:27 pm MST March 1, 2007
UPDATED: 7:02 pm MST March 1, 2007

FT.COLLINS, Colo. -- Elizabeth Zopff, 34, said she's had it with her brace and the cane that helps her walk upright.
"It digs into your skin. It's painful. It's hot,"said Zopff.
Zopff hasn't always had numbness in her leg. She contracted West Nile virus two years ago on her family farm. It left her right leg numb and devoid of motion.
"When the fever broke, just nothing, nothing was the same," said Zopff.

It's a reality Zopff has struggled with and fought to overcome. But a recent technological advancement has helped her move along.
"I walked with my cane the other day for the first time in years, two years," she said.
The wireless device, dubbed the Ness L300, is giving her back the mobility that the disease took away.
"The electrical stimulation allows the muscles to do the work that they were designed to do. The sensor under the foot communicates wirelessly with the brace," said physical therapist Amanda Barnhart.

The device forces her leg to do the work, instead of relying on the leg brace.
"It literally is completely life-changing," said Zopff.
Zopff said she already has big plans for the device but realizes it will take baby steps to get there.
"I'd like to chase my kid around the playground a little bit. That would be amazing. I'd like to walk in the grocery store and not be totally exhausted. It's difficult you realize how much you take for granted,"said Zopff.