The Hero of the Week is brought to you by Kidde Worry-Free Alarms… Be a safety hero for your family. Begin by replacing outdated smoke alarms. Learn other simple steps at Kidde.com. Kidde – Technology that saves lives. Find out how you can nominate a “Hero of the Week” at the bottom of the page.
Throughout the week, our ACC Team searches through emails and news articles looking for someone who deserves to be the Kidde Hero of the Week…
This week’s Hero is in Colorado, where Amanda Boxtel launched a nonprofit called Bridging Bionics.
Amanda became paralyzed over 25 years ago after a fall while skiing. Not too long ago, she received a call about trying out a prototype of a bionic exoskeleton that could help those who were paralyzed walk again. And, for the first time in 25 years, Amanda walked!
She quickly realized that this technology wouldn’t be easily affordable or accessible to many people, but she was determined to help those like her walk again. She then developed the nonprofit Bridging Bionics. The organization raises money and pairs individuals with therapists to help develop one-on-one custom bionics for those who are unable to walk on their own.
Amanda’s belief that everyone deserves access to technology that can help better their lives is not only inspiring but proof that one person can make a difference.
Amanda Boxtel – you are this week’s Kidde Hero!
For more on this story, check out the CNN Heroes feature profiling Amanda and her great work with Bridging Bionics:
Nominate a Hero of the Week
Now, we want to know who has made a difference in your life. Nominate a local firefighter, police officer, EMT or someone who is serving our country in the military. It could even be a neighbor, family member or friend who lent a crucial helping hand. Let us know all about the person who you feel is a real life hero by emailing us here and please feel free to send us a picture!