For millions of Americans, a simple mechanical failure can strip away their independence in an instant. Chris Cox uses a high-tech power wheelchair due to a cervical spinal cord injury. Then, on a Saturday night, he found himself trapped in a “standing position” when his chair unexpectedly shut off and refused to restart. In a post on TikTok and Instagram, he noted that the situation not only stripped him of his independence, but it also came with an emotional hit.
Cox told his viewers, “I was standing without power. I couldn’t get out of standing mode without power in my chair. And power was gone. There was no reason, there was no warning. It felt like I was getting paralyzed all over again.” Additionally, he noted that standing for long periods is not only uncomfortable; he had “already been standing for as long as I am normally able to without getting stress fractures in my legs.”
