A woman left paralysed from the neck down after a skiing accident is now using a robot to feed her.
Rebecca Koltun was left quadriplegic – unable to use her arms and legs – after suffering a bad fall on the slopes while enjoying a trip away with university friends.
The now 25-year-old has been through multiple surgeries following the injury to her spinal cord, including one that allows her to breathe without a ventilator. Still, she can’t move anything other than her head.
To help make day-to-day life smoother, Rebecca recently got her own robot that can feed her, giving her newfound independence as she navigates life in her 20s.
Sharing how the invention works, the young woman went viral on TikTok, garnering 8.9 million views.
“I really enjoy the independence of being able to pick when I eat and from what bowl I ate from,” Rebecca, from Long Island, New York, told Need To Know.
“It was really cool to try out, I’m really happy I got to do it.”
In the clip, the robotic arm lifts spoonfuls of fruit into Rebecca’s mouth.
The device is strapped up to her, and a button on her headrest allows her to direct it to pick up food from the section she wants each time.
The Obi adaptive eating device was a loan from the brand, letting Rebecca test it out – with tech like this crucial for giving her independence.
She also uses voice control to operate her phone, a device called Glasshouse that enables her to use a computer, and an Amazon Alexa to control things around the house like lighting, TV and music.
Her house has also been modified with an elevator and a ramp.
At the time of her fall in March 2021, Rebecca was a college student studying Spanish and chemistry.
Of the ski trip in Vermont that changed her life forever, Rebecca said: “I don’t remember the day itself but I was told I had a really bad fall.
“I woke up in the ICU in New Hampshire.
“I was airlifted there from the mountain in a helicopter.
“I was told that I had a spinal cord injury at the C1 C2 junction and was paralysed from the neck down.
“I was in rehab for nine months before finally going home.”
Rebecca underwent a spinal fusion and had a tracheostomy and catheter put in, as well as a diaphragmatic pacer implanted so that she could breathe without a ventilator.
Living with her parents, she has nurses for full-time support and care.
Despite her health struggles, the young woman has a sunny outlook on life, often sharing light-hearted videos under the account name ‘not paralysed just lazy’.
Rebecca said: “I’m now paralyzed from the neck down with no sensation below my neck, and I cannot move anything besides my head.
“However, I am healthy and I am happy.
“I have lots of family and friends to support me.
“I work part-time doing social media management for a company and I like to go out and have fun with my friends.”
