i do this? how will i survive? reporter: at 6 4 , he s been tough. he served in the u.s. military and earned his living as a welder. and when his accident took away his ability to walk, he thought the world had come to an end. you know, i field helpless, what can i do? reporter: more than a decade after the accident, a cutting edge idea called rework is giving him the use of his legs back. it s an exo skeleton to help paraplegics do what they never thought was possible, stand up and walk again. i m looking at the watch and he tells me time to press. i didn t want to press that yet. i want to stay here for a moment because it s been so many years. reporter: the man who invented rewalk has a story of his own. he is himself a quad dra pa lee