A woman who almost lost her leg after a boating accident is now walking again.
Danielle Press, 27, sustained deep lacerations to her upper left leg in the September 2013 accident. She was losing a lot of blood and her sciatic nerve, which controls movement and feeling, had been completely cut and separated.
After saving her life, doctors began a procedure that had never been performed before. University of Miami neurosurgeon Dr. Alan Levi was able to take a nerve graft from Danielle's other leg, replicate it in the lab, and combine it with the nerves in her damaged leg.
Now, just over a year later, Press is walking and ready to live her life again.
"Life is falling back into place," Press said.
The new peripheral repair procedure lays the groundwork for treating other paralysis patients. Levi and his team were able to get FDA approval for the treatment for patients with spinal cord injuries and those with peripheral injuries that involve large nerves.
"It's the start of something big," Levi said.
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While Press can walk, she can't run or wear high heels. But she said she's on her way to achieving her dream of teaching English in Taiwan with her boyfriend.
"It's really difficult to put into words the way it makes me feel and how fortunate I feel," Press said.
