Meet Stephenie Rodriguez: A Champion and Changemaker for Malaria – Stories

August 20, 2024

Stephenie Rodriguez was diagnosed with cerebral malaria in 2019 and the disease changed her life.

After a long and grueling recovery, Stephenie became an elite athlete – competing in top-level para-fencing events around the world – and an outspoken advocate for collaborative efforts to combat malaria.

Stephenie is a changemaker for the Global Fund.

Tell us something about yourself.

Photo: Stephenie Rodriguez

I am a CEO, mother, entrepreneur, para-fencing champion, survivor of cerebral malaria and a bilateral bionic amputation.

I contracted cerebral malaria in Nigeria while on a business trip in September 2019. One evening I got three mosquito bites on my ankle. I left for home in Australia the next day and was rushed to hospital two weeks later.

Cerebral malaria is a fast killer – it didn’t take long to spread through my body. I was between life and death for two weeks.

I woke up from a coma, completely paralyzed. I would later hear that the doctor had told my family and friends: She only has five minutes left to live. She’s not coming back. Say goodbye.

I survived, but the damage was severe. The recovery took four years, including a year and a half of hospitalization during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and 47 surgical procedures. In 2021, I lost both feet to the disease.

I now have a deep understanding of the devastating impacts of malaria and have dedicated myself – my platform and my voice – to eradicating this deadly disease.

What did you know about malaria before you had this experience?

I thought it was a disease that affected people in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. I knew it was a mosquito-borne disease, but I generally did not know that it is one of the greatest threats to human life and a silent, ruthless killer.

I have learned that malaria adapts and increases as the climate changes.

I learned that a child dies from it every minute and that pregnant women are disproportionately affected.

The first step is to understand the problem and the seriousness of the situation for everyone.

There are cases of malaria in the United States now. There are cases in France. We are one planet – if we don’t get this under control, we’re going to have more victims of a disease that could have been prevented.

How did you come to know about the Global Fund and why did you decide to join?

Photo: Stephenie Rodriguez

My son was with me when I woke up from my coma in 2019. I said to him, “I don’t know how 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 get and 90% what you do with it.” And that was my call to action. I thought, I can beat this parasite. And if I do, I will live my best life – and live the rest of my days wisely.

That same year, I set a goal for myself—a promise. I want to impact a billion lives by 2025. I’ve been sitting on the couch for four years, so to speak. The world stood still. So, to finally stand on my feet, literally and figuratively, and fight the disease that put me in that coma—that’s what I want to do.

The Global Fund does the work with the greatest impact and the largest footprint. The majority of the funds raised worldwide to combat malaria come from the Global Fund.

I want to raise my voice for the Global Fund and speak with people who deal with malaria every day.

What does it mean to you to be a changemaker?

I see myself as a champion, and those who are champions can create change.

My story, my platform, my voice, and my athletic abilities can help spark conversations, draw attention to an issue, and create awareness where it is needed and necessary.

My role is to amplify the Global Fund’s call to action: we must invest in programs that can really make a difference in the fight against malaria.

I hope that my story as a survivor will inspire governments, aid agencies and private partners to support the Global Fund so we can eradicate malaria.