Army Sergeant From Burbank Seriously Injured In IED Attack Honored At Dodger Stadium
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — An Army sergeant from Burbank, who was severely injured in the line of duty, was honored at Dodger Stadium Wednesday.
Army Sgt. Bryan Anderson was met with a standing ovation and applause during the Military Hero of the Game honor.
Anderson lost both his legs and his left hand in an IED attack in 2005 during his second tour in Iraq. After he spent a year in the hospital, he was determined to keep living a good life.
He tried prosthetics but for him they didn't feel efficient. He then spent years in a typical wheelchair, but that too, had its challenges.
"I was sitting there looking up all the time and I'm like, I don't want to do that either," he said.
Anderson became the spokesperson for the company, Quantum Rehab, and let them know what he and other injured soldiers really wanted: The chance to be eye-level with their friends.
"And the next thing I know, this product materializes and I'm like, 'Oh, that's what I'm talking about.' This is life-changing right here."
The product he was referring to was a power wheelchair that moves up and down quickly.
Anderson says he felt more socially-accepted and accessed store shelves and restaurant counters more easily.
"It gives you your dignity back," he said.
As KCAL9's Erica Nochlin reports, more wheelchairs with the iLevel technology are expected to be available later this month. Click here for more information.