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s o u t h p h i l l y r ev i ew.c o m
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APRIL 19, 2012
Dirty talk
With more than 35 projects, residents teamed up to give South Philly a cleaner image Saturday. Lauren Hertzler Review Intern
T
he crisp smell of spring lingered in the air Saturday morning in the Italian Market, as volunteers banded together in the warm, sunny weather to sweep the sidewalks and streets — what used to be a time-honored South Philly practice. Di Bruno Bros., 930 S. Ninth St., which has operated its Bella Vista location since 1939, teamed up with the South Ninth Street Businessmen’s Association to revive that custom and “Keep up the Sweep Up” for the fifth annual Philly Spring Cleanup. See SPRING CLEANUP page 8
Sports
A great gait
A wearable robot helped a Whitman quadriplegic to walk after a lengthy period of wheelchair connement.
Nordic notability
A Packer Park museum will honor a soccer legend for her contributions to Swedish-America. By Joseph Myers.........Page 31
By Joseph Myers R e v i e w S ta f f W r i t e r
M
ichael Sullivan may one day honor the Surgeon General’s recommendation to take 10,000 daily steps, but on April 12, nothing mattered more to the 46-year-old than confidently executing 276 paces at Center City’s Good Shepherd Penn Partners. With conviction and curiosity, he capped four emotional days of regaining the ability to walk, a gift that a 1994 diving accident
Michael Sullivan was the picture of concentration as he completed close to 300 steps. His robotic aid will further help him to be a tireless husband, father and athlete. S ta f f P h o t o b y Greg Bezanis
robbed him of by rendering him a quadriplegic. The fortunate footsteps occurred courtesy of a bionic exoskeleton that will work to ensure that Sullivan’s penchant for activity will never grow sedentary. One of six patients with lower-extremity weakness or paralysis to use the four-year-old facility’s battery-powered aid last week, the resident of the 300 block of Durfor Street earned the opportunity through his five-year involvement with Philadelphia AdapSee EXOSKELETON page 10