'Stand Up for Heroes' Marine, Paralyzed in War, Walks Tall Again
By BYRON PITTS and CHRIS MURPHEY
Of all the military guests of honor at the eighth annual ABC's Bob Woodruff Foundation's "Stand Up for Heroes" event Wednesday night, none walked taller than Marine Capt. Derek Herrera.
While serving in Afghanistan in 2012, Herrera, now 30, was hit by a sniper's bullet that nearly took his life.
"I knew immediately that I was paralyzed from the chest down," Herrera said. "The bullet entered my shoulder and lodged in my spine between the C6 and C7 vertebrae. I didn't really know what the extent of that injury would be, whether it would be permanent or not permanent."
When he got home, Herrera, a Marine Special Ops officer and Naval Academy graduate, was aggressive with his rehab. Herrera can now move on his own with the help of new technology called an "exoskeleton system" made by the Israel-based company, ReWalk. It is a wearable robotic system that powers hip and knee motion.
Herrera controls the device from a sensor he wears on his wrist, which communicates with other sensors above his hip.
The sensor "senses when I lean forward and shift my weight from one foot to the other," he said.
Herrera is the first American and the first active duty service member to own one - a nearly $70,000 investment that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but not yet covered by insurance.
For now, Herrera spends most of his time in a wheelchair, but someday he hopes to leave it behind.
At the "Stand Up for Heroes" event - which honors all men and women who serve and is a joint venture of the New York Comedy Festival and the Woodruff Foundation - Herrera shared the spotlight with those who know his sacrifice.
He is set to retire from the Marine Corps later this month and he has accepted a civilian job as the CEO of an American energy drink company.
War changed him, but couldn't break him.
