Assistive devices and technologies as the key to participation

Cycling hundreds of kilometers from Munich to Berlin to collect donations for children with heart disease: Marie Stock proved last year that obstacles can be overcome if you believe in yourself and, above all, get the right support.

The 22-year-old Munich native's campaign would not have been possible in this form a few years ago. It was only in summer 2020 that Marie decided to have surgery to correct her long-standing spinal curvature. After the surgeries, it seemed as if she would have to give up cycling. But her passion was so strong that she was determined to get back on her bike.

She found out about HASE BIKES and their special bikes while in rehab. After a test ride on the “Kettwiesel”, she decided on this recumbent trike, which she was able to pick up in spring 2021. The foundation was laid for the first major bike tours and fundraising campaigns.

Marie wants her tours to make a difference for other people who don't have the same freedom and opportunity as her to pursue their hobby again. In the last five years, she has already raised over 20,000 euros for a good cause.

But Marie Stock is not the only one who is breaking new ground with the right aid. Kerstin Rathgeb has also regained a degree of self-determination thanks to state-of-the-art technology.

At the age of 17, Kerstin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which fundamentally changed her life. At the end of 2021, she was confined to a wheelchair and also had to give up her job as an educator. The world suddenly appeared to her as if through a pane of glass: visible, but often overlooked. The wheelchair offered mobility, but it also changed her social visibility.

The turning point came with the Exopulse (Mollii) Suit, a neuromodulatory full-body suit. By using it regularly, Kerstin was able to alleviate her spasticity, become more active in everyday life and, above all, be there for her children again. "I think the most important thing is that inclusion is exemplified – only then, it can be understood."

Ayleen Walter also knows what it means to face adversity. The 30-year-old lives with a degenerative spinal condition that was diagnosed in childhood. After several herniated discs, the serious diagnosis followed in 2020: bilateral paraplegia.

For weeks, Ayleen waited for a wheelchair, while her request for rehabilitation with orthoses was rejected. But she refused to be discouraged. In January 2023, she finally received a permanent fitting with the C-Brace – a computer-assisted orthosis system that enabled her to stand on her own two feet again. This moment changed her life.

The experiences of Marie Stock, Kerstin Rathgeb and Ayleen Walter impressively demonstrate that modern assistive devices are far more than just medical devices. They are the key to participation, self-determination and regaining quality of life. And they unfold their full potential when individual solutions, courageous users and committed experts come together.

Because only through early, tailor-made care and an inclusive attitude, a society can emerge in which assistive devices are not seen as a necessity, but as an opportunity for everyone – for more freedom, more dignity and more humanity.