Journey Forward awarded $500K federal grant

U.S. Senator Ed Markey chats with a Journey Forward client during a recent tour of the facility.

United States Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) toured Canton-based Journey Forward last week to see the latest equipment purchased for the facility: two Ekso Indego exoskeletons and a Lokomat. The addition of the two training tools was made possible through a federal grant. Journey Forward is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization offering an intense exercise-based program for paralyzed individuals.

“We received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,” said Dan Cummings, Journey Forward’s founder and president. “Senator Markey was instrumental in making that happen for us. It’s the first time we got a grant and it’s a huge help.”

Cummings opened Journey Forward in a 10,000-square-foot building on Dedham Street in June of 2008. It has since moved to a building several times larger on nearby Shawmut Road, where it provides a variety of programs for just under 100 clients.

Cummings and the staff hold regular fundraising events and receive donations toward the purchase of equipment, but the $500,000 awarded through the grant is the largest amount of money that Journey Forward has received at one time. With the funds, the organization purchased two exoskeletons, each of which costs $165,000. The remaining $170,000 was combined with donations to purchase a Lokomat, which costs $255,000. The grant also provided training for the Journey Forward staff with the equipment.

An exoskeleton is a wearable robotic device that provides gait training for people who have suffered spinal cord injuries and is used with paraplegics, since the person needs upper body strength to use it. “It wraps around your hips and over your legs,” Cummings explained. “It will act as your legs.”

Cummings estimated that about a quarter of Journey Forward clients will train with an exoskeleton.

The Lokomat is a robotic treadmill training system that uses a body weight support to hold a person up while their legs are attached to robotic legs that help with basic walking movements. “It can be used with anyone,” Cummings said. “As the client gets stronger, we can turn the machine down. That’s what I love about it. About 60 percent of our clients use it.”

Journey Forward purchased its first exoskeleton in 2012 through fundraising efforts, but it wore down through repeated use. When they contacted a company a few years ago about buying a replacement for the old one, officials suggested they apply for a federal grant to cover the costs. Journey Forward acted on the idea and submitted an application, but they were not selected for an award in 2023. When they found out about another round of grants for the following year, they again applied. Markey and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) selected Journey Forward to be a grant recipient in 2024.

Cummings said that while the ultimate goal for their clients is to walk again, the Journey Forward staff works hard to improve the quality of life for all of their clients. “We excite the nervous system,” he said. “[Clients] need to learn how to connect to their legs, their arms.”

Journey Forward works with their clients by using locomotor training, an activity-based therapy that includes walking, use of a treadmill, the Lokomat, and the exoskeleton. Locomotor training helps improve and recover walking movement through challenged practice and lower extremity weight bearing.

Cummings said that the locomotor training helps improve blood flow, strengthens bones, and is good for cardio. As a client’s connections to their arms and legs improves, the staff works on increasing their strength and coordination.

“Journey Forward is doing incredible work every day to help people recover from and flourish with spinal cord injuries and other forms of paralysis,” said Senator Markey. “A true gem in Canton, Journey Forward acts with boundless and tireless optimism to support people’s paths forward. I was so glad to have the chance to visit Journey Forward and to celebrate the $500,000 in federal funding I secured with Senator Warren to help the organization buy new equipment to expand who they can help.”

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Jun 7 2024. Filed under Business. Both comments and pings are currently closed.