Amanda Lees, a 41-year-old finance manager from Comrie, Perthshire, has launched a crowdfunder to raise £60,000 for state-of-the-art Agilik robotic leg braces that she describes as potentially life-changing. Born with Congenital Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative muscle condition that has left her unable to walk and often reliant on a wheelchair, Lees remains active through adaptive mountain biking, travel, and playing in the Comrie Pipe Band.
Fundraiser surpasses £8,000
The crowdfunding campaign has already raised more than £8,000 toward the total cost. Lees discovered the braces through a TikTok video of a German man testing them, which led her to a provider in Glasgow. After an initial trial at a disability convention in Birmingham in March, she was uncertain, but a second trial in Glasgow two weeks later proved transformative. “They had learned my gait a little and they weren’t so powerful, but my hips were able to take the pressure,” she said.
Braces designed to assist movement
The Agilik braces are robotic orthotics that provide a boost with each step, learning the user’s gait to position feet correctly and reduce fatigue. Lees explained: “The new braces are set up so that I can be boosted every time I take a step forward, they will learn to put my feet in the right position and can move me forward without being so tired. It will be better for the muscles for me to be walking, the braces will help to stretch me in a way that I can’t at the moment.”
Beyond medical benefits
For Lees, the braces represent more than physical support. “The best part of all of this isn’t medical to me. It’s being able to walk beside my friends and family instead of rolling behind them, standing shoulder to shoulder with people. It’s looking people in the eye during conversations instead of becoming an expert on belt buckles, jacket zips, and the occasional awkwardly close backside. It’s feeling a little more like me,” she said.
