SWITZERLAND — In a story that is redefining the limits of medical recovery and human spirit, 19-year-old Louis Derungs is learning to walk again after a horrific electrical accident that claimed both of his arms and initially paralyzed his legs.
The life-altering incident occurred several months ago when Derungs, then a vibrant teenager on the cusp of adulthood, suffered a massive electric shock. The voltage was so powerful it caused catastrophic tissue damage and circulatory failure. Rushed to a specialized trauma unit, he was placed in a medically induced coma for days as surgeons fought to save his life.
The first devastating outcome was the surgical amputation of both arms. Upon waking from the coma, Derungs faced a second unimaginable blow: he had lost all motor function and sensation in his legs due to nerve and spinal damage from the shock.
“The prognosis was very guarded,” said Dr. Elara Fischer, lead physician at the RehaClinic in Valens, where Derungs underwent treatment. “The combined trauma of the amputations and the neurological deficit in his lower limbs presented an extraordinary challenge. We prepared for a very long, difficult road, likely involving permanent use of a wheelchair.”
But Derungs, described by his family as possessing a quiet, steely resolve, refused to accept that future. He embarked on an aggressive, grueling rehabilitation regimen, often spending six to eight hours a day in physical therapy.
“The first goal was to see if any neural pathways could be reactivated,” explained his physiotherapist, Markus Huber. “It was agonizingly slow. A flicker of a muscle here, a tiny twitch there. Louis’s determination was absolute. He never missed a session. He would be drenched in sweat and exhausted, and he’d ask, ‘What’s next?’”
Miraculously, after six months of relentless work, Derungs achieved the impossible: he took his first assisted steps. Today, he can walk with the aid of a supportive frame and is regaining strength daily. While he will require prosthetics for his arms, the recovery of his legs—deemed medically improbable—has stunned his care team.
“Louis’s recovery of ambulation is one of the most remarkable I have seen in my career,” Dr. Fischer stated. “It speaks to his incredible physical and mental fortitude. Medicine provided the framework, but his will executed the plan.”
Derungs’s story has captured the heart of the nation. A funding page set up to support his long-term care and advanced prosthetics has far exceeded its goals. He has become a symbol of resilience, receiving messages from others facing severe trauma.
“I wake up every day and choose to fight,” Derungs said in a recent statement released through the clinic. “Losing my arms was a fact I had to accept. But my legs… that was a battle I decided to win. I walk for myself, but I also hope it shows others in dark places that a lot can change. Don’t give up on your body’s ability to heal.”
His family says the next chapter involves mastering myoelectric arm prosthetics and continuing his journey toward maximum independence. Louis Derungs’s story is no longer one of tragic accident, but of a breathtaking comeback, step by hard-won step.