Know all about Stephanie.
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Keynote speaker, serial entrepreneur, Latina, big data evangelist, global citizen, Inventor, Founder of WanderSafe, WSL Alumni, and mentor. Innovation is my driver, and I am on a mission to impact 1 billion lives by 2025 in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
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Transforming 1 billon lives, yours included
Turning disabilities to abilities
I am a CEO, a mother, an entrepreneur, a champion para-fencer, a survivor of cerebral malaria and a bilateral bionic amputee.
I contracted cerebral malaria in Nigeria on a business trip in September 2019. One evening I got three mosquito bites on my ankle. I left the next day for home in Australia, and two weeks later I was rushed to a hospital.
Cerebral malaria is a very quick killer – it didn’t take long to spread throughout my body. I was hanging between life and death for two weeks.
I woke up from a coma, completely paralyzed. I would later learn that the doctor had told my family and friends: She has less than five minutes to live. She’s not coming back. Say goodbye.
I survived, but the damage was severe. Recovery took four years – including a year and a half of hospitalization during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and 47 surgical operations. I lost both my feet in 2021 because of the disease.
My Motivation and drive to live
My son was with me when I woke up from my coma in 2019. I told him, “I don’t know how I’m going to take care of you. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.”
He looked at me and said, “Mom, life is 10% what you’re given and 90% what you do with it.” And that was my call to action. I thought, I can beat this parasite. And when I do, I will live my best life – and spend the rest of my days wisely.
That same year, I made a goal for myself – a pledge. I want to impact a billion lives by 2025. I spent four years on the bench, so to speak. The world stopped. So, to finally get on my feet, literally and figuratively, and fight the disease that put me in that coma – that's what I want to do.
My son was with me when I woke up from my coma in 2019. I told him, “I don’t know how I’m going to take care of you. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.”
He looked at me and said, “Mom, life is 10% what you’re given and 90% what you do with it.” And that was my call to action. I thought, I can beat this parasite. And when I do, I will live my best life – and spend the rest of my days wisely.
That same year, I made a goal for myself – a pledge. I want to impact a billion lives by 2025. I spent four years on the bench, so to speak. The world stopped. So, to finally get on my feet, literally and figuratively, and fight the disease that put me in that coma – that's what I want to do.
Giving up is not an option and learning to survive
The road to Paralympic Games qualification
I had an intense training regime but one that will hopefully see me gain qualification for the 2024 Paralympic Games soon.
I train four to five times a week and some weekends from 9-5 pm. It takes a lot of dedication and commitment but I love it.
I have to do a lot of physical upper body strengthening, technical weapon training and lots and lots of bouts with other fencers to be on my game.
I also go to a lot of camps in other countries that have more established programs and athletes to gain more experience. I take a beating from those more experienced athletes in Poland, Greece and the United States to advance my skills.
I have two more World Cup competitions to do before I hopefully get officially selected to go to Paris and represent Australia. One in Thailand in April and one in Sao Paulo in May.
Open water in her veins
While I had been busily training for fencing she still manages to get her much-loved open water swim in and I am swimming in the upcoming Murray Rose Malabar Magic.
I am Puerto Rican, so the ocean runs through my veins.
Plus, I grew up living near the beach and have been swimming in the ocean since my earliest childhood memories.
My swimming has had to change a bit since my amputation but I now swim with shin fins, which help me to get through the water, and I found these to help me deep water snorkel in the Caribbean which I love to do regularly.
I also use a buoyancy belt which the Rainbow Club gave me which helps me to stay afloat and also gives me a bit of reassurance that if something goes wrong with my fins, I have a plan B until I get myself sorted in the water.
