When we started Exoquad, we knew we were building more than just a mobility device. We were creating a bridge back to the life people thought they'd lost.
But hearing Tonje tell her story still gives me chills. The moment she said "This is it. This is the solution for us," I was reminded once again why we do this work.
Her journey from watching life happen to living it again captures exactly what freedom looks like.
– Sigurd Groven, Co-founder, Exoquad
Prefer reading? Here's Tonje's story in her own words...
When I got in the car after my first Exoquad test drive, I turned to my wife and said, "We need this. This is it. Yeah, this is it. This is the solution for us."
I'm an outdoors person. It's where I've spent most of my life - in nature. I've been a really active person all my life, spending time in the mountains hiking, biking, and skiing. I raised my two boys that way as well.
But things started changing in 2015 when I had an accident with my bike that injured the nerves to my right leg, giving me mobility problems. Then in 2022, I started having trouble with muscle strength - weakening, muscle fatigue, and a lot of spasms.
I started with forearm crutches, but I couldn't walk very far with them. Already at that point, I knew I had to find some way to get outside again in some other way. I felt really restricted and became more dependent on a manual wheelchair, but that's not appropriate for the kind of outings I wanted - going to the mountains or just being outside with my boys.
For two years, I had to stay back home while my kids and wife continued their outdoor life. Even if I came along, I was just watching. It really sucks when you can't participate.
I usually use the forest near our home to reset after work, taking walks with the dog. That was one thing I didn't know I would miss as much, but it's been one of the biggest joys that I can still do that now - those everyday small strolls, just being out in nature. It's something you do every day that you have time for, and that's probably why you appreciate it so much.
The first thing I saw was the Exoquad. I don't know why, but it was the first mobility aid I looked at, and I just knew I needed to test it. By some coincidence, there was actually a demo just a few days later.
We went in December, and when I got in the car afterward, I knew immediately: "We need this. This is it. This is the solution for us."
We were super lucky with our crowdfunding campaign - it went amazing. I didn't expect it to go that way. In most cases, people want to help. I know from my own experience when I got injured in 2015, there was a similar crowdfunding campaign because I had the same urge to get outside.
At first, it felt difficult to say yes to asking for help - it's money, and we got questions about why this wasn't something I could get from social services. But everyone was super positive, and it's been so fun to meet people who contributed when we're in the forest or on the mountain. They're so happy to see us outside again. They knew us before, so they knew that was our life, and now we're back to it.
It's been a huge shift for me, and I think it's an even bigger shift for my family because they were used to seeing me out and about. There's a huge sense of loss connected to not being able to do the activities that define you.
But now? I can be the fun parent again.
Like I said, I didn't think I would be on top of any mountain again. The first time I was, it was super emotional, but at the same time, I was just so happy. As long as our bodies are working perfectly, you take it for granted. When it's gone, you realize how important it really was.
I knew I missed being on top of a mountain or trail biking, but I didn't know how much I missed just trips like daily strolls around the local forest or picking up the boys from kindergarten.
The Exoquad has given me a lot of independence. I use it every day for wherever I'm going. I don't like to use the expression "normal," but I want to lead a life that is as normal as possible - where I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, especially in mobility terms.
The everyday mobility aids like manual wheelchairs or electric wheelchairs are made for urban areas or indoors. Once there's a staircase or obstacles, it's like "okay, what to do now?" But with the Exoquad, I can go anywhere.
There's also this cool factor - showing up at school, everyone thinks you're the coolest parent in the schoolyard. Kids say things like "Dad, look, she has a tractor!" or "There's the Batmobile!" It's good I took it in black!
The freedom is the biggest thing for me. Whenever I can, I bring it when we go on holiday. In winter, when the kids are cross-country skiing, I can ride along. That's a big deal.
Now I can actually be a part of things with the kids. I can have them on my lap and drive them around. I can be the fun parent again, and that meant a lot to my son as well - when I picked him up at school with all the kids running along, I was the coolest dad.
I used to do a lot of landscape and outdoor photography, and I really didn't know how I'd continue because my forearm crutches were so limiting. Now I'm back out in the areas where I used to shoot, and that's a huge deal for me.
I have found that I need to change the way I shoot because I don't get the same angles, but I've tried to use that in a good way. My images look different today than they did a few years ago, and I don't think that's a bad thing. You have to be solution-oriented and do things differently, and usually, you find a way to make it work.
I have to say, riding around in so many different places - in my hometown, on mountains, in wooded areas - I've met hundreds of hikers throughout the years. Never once has anyone said anything negative about me riding there. It's non-intrusive because it's compact and quiet.
Once people realize it's a substitute for my legs, they understand what it's about, and then it's just "wow, this is amazing. Why hasn't anyone made this earlier?" Everyone I've met has been really positive, telling me how great it is to see that we're able to go outside.
It's overdue, you know, in terms of finding mobility aids that can do it all - that can take us out where we normally should be but can't access otherwise.
Ready to reclaim your outdoor adventures like Tonje did?
The Exoquad all-terrain mobility vehicle is designed for people who refuse to let mobility challenges keep them from the outdoor lifestyle they love. From daily nature walks to mountain adventures, from family outings to pursuing your passions - the Exoquad gives you the freedom to participate, not just watch.
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Experience firsthand why Tonje knew immediately: "This is it. This is the solution."