Maggie Eggleston enjoys horseback riding, watching movies and reading mysteries—a fairly typical set of interests for a 16-year-old girl.
But Maggie’s lived experience is anything but typical. Three years ago, she was diagnosed with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a degenerative disease that affects muscles in the face, shoulders, upper arm and beyond. It’s the third-most common variety of muscular dystrophy, per the Muscular Dystrophy Association, occurring in roughly one in 8,000 people worldwide, according to the FSHD Society.
Maggie has difficulty lifting the front of her right foot, which affects her walking gait, so she switches between two different braces for stability. But both of her current options are physically constraining and highly visible—not ideal for a teenager.
For the past two semesters, Maggie and her family have turned to students in the University of Wisconsin-Madison biomedical engineering design program for help creating an inconspicuous, lightweight brace that still provides support but offers greater flexibility
Read the full story here: https://engineering.wisc.edu/news/bme-students-step-forward-to-help-teen-with-muscular-dystrophy/