In late March 2022, WanderSafe Co-Founder, CMO, and Global Ambassador Stephenie Rodriguez joined Channel 10 Australia for a candid interview about the extraordinary events that had reshaped her life — and strengthened her resolve to make the world safer.
One Mosquito Bite Changed Everything
Stephenie recounted her 2019 trip to Lagos, Nigeria, where she had been invited to speak on UN Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals. At the conclusion of her week there, she stepped outside to take photos with delegates. She did not know it at the time, but she was bitten three times on her left ankle by a mosquito.
"That was the beginning of a life-changing journey for me," Stephenie said.
The mosquito carried Plasmodium falciparum, otherwise known as cerebral malaria — a disease with a 97.7 percent fatality rate. Stephenie was placed into an induced coma, and what followed was an extraordinarily difficult period of survival, isolation, and decision-making that few could imagine.
400 Days in Hospital — Alone
Stephenie spent approximately 400 days in the hospital as a single mother, fighting to recover. When asked how she endured, she credited prayer, perseverance, and the quality of her medical team.
"Going through everything we could do to save my feet gave me a purpose every day," she reflected. "But it was not an easy journey and to do it on my own without family — it was extraordinarily difficult. But we learned resilience through it."
After 22 months in a wheelchair and a year of surgical intervention, doctors delivered the final verdict: her heels were unsalvageable. The choice was stark — remain in the wheelchair or undergo bilateral osseointegration, a procedure that would make Stephenie Australia's first female bilateral above-ankle amputee with bionic prosthetics.
"It only took me about three weeks to make that decision because I really wanted to get on with my life and move forward," she said.
A Life Dream Realized
The interview captured Stephenie just weeks after she had achieved a lifelong ambition: recording a TEDx talk. On March 10, 2022, she took the stage at TEDxLytteltonWomen in New Zealand to deliver "How I Met My Best Friend," a deeply personal talk about discovering self-love through unimaginable pain.
"It was a life dream realized for me. I had always set my goals as a TED Talk and a Nobel Peace Prize — so I was just one down, got one more to do," she laughed. "It was exhilarating. It is the hardest thing I have ever done as far as training, and really synchronizing a thought, but the process of going through and becoming a TED speaker is in itself a journey."
Taking a Public Stand
Stephenie used the platform to make a broader statement about gender-based violence, calling it "inexcusable" and urging viewers to take loud, public positions against it. She spoke about her son, then sixteen years old, as her ultimate motivation — and about the responsibility she feels after surviving a disease that kills nearly everyone it touches.
"I am here for a reason," she said simply.
That reason is WanderSafe. Her mission to impact a billion lives by 2025 did not pause during her hospitalization. If anything, the experience of being vulnerable, isolated, and unable to call for help deepened her understanding of exactly why WanderSafe exists.
From Survival to Impact
Stephenie's Channel 10 appearance captured a pivotal moment in her story — the transition from surviving to thriving. Just weeks removed from her TEDx recording, months into learning to walk on prosthetic legs, and still building a company designed to keep others safe, she embodied the resilience that sits at the core of the WanderSafe brand.
Her message was direct: adversity does not end a mission. It clarifies it.
Stay safe. Stay informed. Stay connected.