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.
Maggie Eggleston. Submitted photo.
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.
Juniors Sadie Rowe, Kate Hiller, Maddie Michels, Lucy Hockerman and Presley Hansen spent the spring 2025 semester using computer-aided design software, 3D printing equipment, motion capture technology, and force-plate testing to develop and refine a prototype.
“The main objective was to find something that was functional but also very sleek-looking and can kind of pass as almost an athletic brace so she wouldn’t get much attention from peers,” says Hockerman, a biomedical engineering major from St. Louis.
The team wound up making a two-part device consisting of an adjustable compression sock that supports Maggie’s foot while also allowing her to bend it upward (dorsiflexion), along with a carbon-fiber plastic ankle brace to guard against rolled ankles. The students used a cast sent to them by the Egglestons, who live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to create 3D models for their designs. They also took advantage of testing equipment in the BME teaching lab on the first floor of the Engineering Centers Building.
“We wanted it to be patient-specific,” says Michels, a biomedical engineering major from Prior Lake, Minnesota.
Maggie’s mother, Debbie, heard about the BME design program through her friend, Peter Adamczyk, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at UW-Madison and an affiliate of the biomedical engineering department.
The students conducted force-plate testing with their brace in the BME teaching lab. Submitted photo.
Each semester, the design program solicits projects from clients ranging from major medical device companies to individuals or families like the Egglestons. Past projects include a tandem bike for an autistic adult, an award-winning surgical tool for carpal tunnel surgeries and an adaptive rowing machine for individuals in wheelchairs. Those interested in submitting a project idea can fill out the form on the program’s website.
The five students who worked with the Egglestons say the personalized nature of the project made it more rewarding.
“It’s a very real experience,” says Hansen, a biomedical engineering major from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
After sending their prototype to the Egglestons for testing, the students learned it still needs refining.
Beyond the client-centric design challenge, though, the experience also taught the students about FSHD, which is part of the Eggleston family’s mission to raise awareness of the disease and advocate for broader inclusion in clinical trials of potential treatments. Maggie’s father and brother have also been diagnosed with the disease but experience milder symptoms. The family is heavily involved with the advocacy group Cure FSHD For All; Debbie Eggleston says children and individuals in wheelchairs are often excluded from clinical trials.
“Maggie is leading the way in helping us sort out this disease for our family and others, because she’s a strong advocate,” says Debbie Eggleston. “Research is what leads us to get to where we need.”
Top photo caption: From left, Kate Hiller, Presley Hansen, Maddie Michels, Sadie Rowe and Lucy Hockerman. Photo: Tom Ziemer.