(CBS News) – Marta Carsteanu-Dombi was in the best shape of her life when a bike accident during a 2018 Ironman race left her paralyzed, robbing her of the ability to walk.

Her spinal cord injury was so severe that doctors told her there was no sign of nerve connections left to her lower body. She also had eight broken ribs, punctured lungs and was bleeding internally. Carsteanu-Dombi, 39, was told by doctors she’d never walk again, but an early clinical trial in Switzerland gave her new hope.

With the help of the “digital bridge” technology, which wirelessly connects an implant on top of her brain to a spinal cord stimulator, and months of training, she was able to take a few steps on her own: no harness to hold her, just her walker and her iron will. She describes it as gaining a superpower. (Read More)