Man Hiking Pacific Crest Trail To Help A Stranger Walk Again With Robotic Legs
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A man from Bakersfield is currently hiking the Pacific Crest Trail to help raise money for his friend, to buy some pretty expensive robotic gear to help him walk again.
After being shot during a robbery in 2007, Arthur Renowitzky, who lives in the Bay Area founded the Life Goes on Foundation.
"It was life-changing and it really got me down at a point in my life where I wanted to give up. I felt like life was over, pretty much," Renowitzky told KPIX 5.
Arthur uses whatever technology he can to live as normally as possible with the ultimate dream of walking again. He hopes new robotic legs can make that possible, but they're expensive - about $80,000.
That's where Eugene Yoon comes in.
"He will walk 1,726 miles - the entire state of California," Yoon said.
Eugene contacted Arthur on Facebook, and although the two had never met, he offered to quit his job and walk the entire Pacific Crest Trail from San Diego to the Oregon border to raise money for Arthur's new legs.
"It's really amazing. He's never hiked more than 10 consecutive miles and it'll take about a four month span…"
Eugene's hike began in April and won't be finished until September. He's doing about 20 miles per day, and each day Arthur knows he's out there, somewhere.
"It just encourages me, inspires me more to not give up on my dream. There's no way," Renowitzky said.
Renowitzky now speaks to kids around the country about non-violence and spinal cord injuries.
