CHICAGO - Sunday, a 31 year old Washington amputee will climb to the top of the 103 floor Willis Tower with the help of a bionic leg developed by Chicago researchers. IT developer Zac Vawter lost his leg in a 2009 motorcycle accident, but using a prosthetic limb, he's run marathons. He's also been working with researchers to advance a new bionic leg that responds electronically to his brain's instructions.
Vawter is featured in an Associated Press story Wednesday in numerous national newspapers, leading up to Sunday's challenge at Willis Tower. The hour-long climb will be the leg's first public test and will be part of a "Skyrise Chicago" fundraiser for the Center for Bionic Medicine.
The Center is part of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, the same world-renowned facility where U.S. Senator Mark Kirk began recovering from partial paralysis following a stroke in January.
Vawter and his family have been challenged on many fronts over the past few years, including his prosthetic foot being stolen during a home robbery earlier this year. A local news Yelm Washington news broadcast tells what happened:
The bionic leg Vawter will be using Sunday will remain in Chicago for more development after Sunday's climb. Researchers said they will be working on the limb for a few more years before it becomes available to the public.
