Climbers trek up 103 floors in Willis Tower for SkyRise fundraiser

Participants climb stairs during the SkyRise Chicago event at the Willis Tower, on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. Participants climbed 2,149 stairs or 105 flights to raise money for the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab which uses physical medicine and rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times (Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times)

Exactly five years ago, a spontaneous spinal cord injury paralyzed now 19-year-old Payton Lange from the waist down. On Sunday, the anniversary of her injury, she climbed thousands of steps to the top of the Willis Tower as part of a fundraiser for the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, which helped her regain the ability to walk.

“I was at my lowest of the low before I came to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab,” she said. “They didn’t think I was ever going to walk again, but Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, they were like, ‘No, no, that’s not going to happen. We’re gonna get you up and moving. We believe in you.’”