The gift of walking

Auckland City Hospital stroke patients like John Baker are gaining confidence while relearning to walk, thanks to the donation of a specialist LiteGait therapy treadmill.

This machine is really cool. It’s a big help with my confidence and balance.

LiteGait was gifted to the new Stroke Centre by the Marion Davis Memorial Trust, administered by Perpetual Guardian, and our hospital staff and patients are so grateful.

Four weeks after suffering a stroke, and while using LiteGait for the first time, John (above, centre) says: “It’s an amazing machine that will help a lot of people.”

John’s physiotherapist Brittany Olsen-Verner says LiteGait is really useful for patients starting to walk following a stroke. “John’s balance isn’t the best, and LiteGait takes away the fear of falling,” she says.

“You never think you’ll have to learn how to walk again,” says John, recalling when he had his stroke. “It was just a normal day, before it all flipped upside down.

“You take life for granted when you can do everything, especially something as simple as walking. Every day, the team here is trying to get you back into it.”

John adds, “My occupational therapists and Brittany have been great, and this machine is really cool. It’s a big help with my confidence and balance.”