innovators – Be-YOU-tiful Adaptive Warrior

The Future is Now: Part 3 of 5

By bawarrior | April 16, 2025

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:26 — 44.6MB)

Limb Loss Awareness Month

UCLA: Ophelie Herve

As we come into our third week of April Limb Loss/Limb Difference Awareness month I am so excited to have a female voice in the engineering program from UCLA on our podcast today.

Ophelie was born in France and came with her family here to the United States at an early age. In high school she reflects on watching the news when the Boston Marathon was bombed and she saw peak athletes, within 24 hours, become wheelchair bound. As an athlete, herself, this event created a desire to help and gave her the direction she needed to jump into engineering and working in prosthetics for her undergraduate and Masters program at SMU.

Ophelie using an exoskeleton that is a power device used to help paralyzed individuals walk.

From there she turned her attention to injury prevention, and found interesting research on the female body and the how and when training can sabotage us by putting us at high risk for injury and when we will have a peak performance in the gym.

Using a robotic arm to replicate the knee joint in her studies on injury prevention.

This week I wanted to delve into the topic of how the female body is different and how as amputees we need to protect our sound limb for the long haul. We have always been so amazed by the newest prosthetics and bionics to come out into the world, and it is a very competitive field, but without research we don’t have the information to make technology better for the human body

Her research is fascinating and goes deep. We joked about the rabbit holes she went down as she began this research, but it was her unique perspective as a female athlete (and one who has injured herself playing soccer), coupled with her research on our female bodies and cycles that we really dove into some extraordinary conversations about injury prevention, especially for women who are down to one sound limb. As a female amputee, I can tell you that I have thought about this often, and what would life look like if I injured my “good leg”. That has also been a topic many times in my ladies’ chat group.

Working out at the right times of the month help protect our sound limb.

How we workout, eat, and rest all help play a part in stabilizing our sound limb, and when different cycle changes throughout our lives make a difference in each of those aspects.

This was great to learn about as the world of sports and nutrition tend to clump us in the same workout and nutrition regiment as our male counterparts, without regards to our different hormones and biological differences.

I hope you enjoy hearing about Ophelie’s cutting edge research and Master’s project as she explains in greater detail some findings and how that will affect us as female amputees and athletes.

Please make sure you give her some love and Like, Share and Subscribe!

We have 2 more weeks of Limb Loss/ Limb Difference Awareness month, which means I have 2 more students who have dedicated their college journey to the betterment of the amputee community. You don’t want to miss this!

Have a beautifully blessed week ahead,

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

Much love,

Hiking with my pups keeps my sound leg strong and health for the long haul.

Keep moving!

Inventors & Innovators: Surfing Brings Healing

By bawarrior | April 10, 2024

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:38 — 13.2MB)

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Adaptive Surfing with Swell Surf Foot

The Ocean is healing.

The Mana (power) of the ocean has a way of grounding you and setting you free so you can soar. It’s an unbelievable feeling!

Just before my 1 year anniversary of my amputation I traveled to Kauai and tried my hand at surfing. I hadn’t been able to get in the ocean, or really any water, for over 5 years due to surgeries and my inability to maneuver because of my injury. I was excited, and nervous.

Once I learned the basics I found a rhythm to surfing, a rhythm to the ocean. I felt the energy it had, and I felt that energy surge through me.

I no longer felt nervous, I felt carefree and alive, and I felt that ANYTHING was possible!

Today I talk with Zach Samalonis, the co-creator/inventor of Swell Surf Foot. He and Yuhan Zhang started this endeavor for a college course. They talked with surfers in the amputee community to get the data they needed to create a prototype, then designed, created and then got a few of their original designs into the hands of amputees ready and willing to try it and give feedback. I was fortunate enough to be one of them.

This is my original surf leg and foot alongside the Swell Surf Foot prototype.

Today we discuss how this adaptive equipment came to life from thoughts and research to designing and creating.

What amazes me is that neither Zach or Yuhan are amputees, but they were charged with finding a problem that needed to be solved and a community that needed their help for their capstone project their senior year at Thomas Jefferson University. The Swell Surf Foot can help bring surfing to more amputees and also brings those people to the ocean for healing. This low cost, water-proof prosthetic was developed with an increased ankle mobility to allow for correct surfing mechanics. In a world where most adaptive surfers have repurposed and fashioned make-shift surf feet because there was nothing on the market, this was filling a need, and want, in our amputee community.

What a beautiful gift their innovation is for adaptive surfers around the world.

Their dedication solving a problem and filling a need is genuine.

In a world where big companies rule the market, it is awesome to see individuals creating and making their mark.

Listen in to hear Zach talk about their inspiration, production, and dreams for the future of their product.

Find them online, give them a follow, and reach out to them if you’d like to try their product in it’s next gen status when it comes out.

Thank you Zach for your time today and sharing your story.

I look forward to putting on your surf foot again soon and feeling the freedom and energy of the ocean. Thanks to you and Yuhan, I have found a foot that brings comfortability, grip, and steadiness to my surfing sessions.

The ocean is a place for healing and finding freedom.

The Swell Surf Foot is a step in the right direction to getting more amputees out, active, and giving them the peace they need to move forward.

Have a blessed week and make sure you subscribe and share so that you and the people you care about don’t miss the amazing people coming up next on this podcast; each making a difference in the lives of amputees everywhere with their creativity, ingenuity, and dedication!

Check them out on Instagram @surfwithswell

or at Zachsamdesigns.com

As always,