Students in Mrs. Banker’s 8th-grade science class recently welcomed a special guest speaker, Elina Villemure, a 2023 graduate of Woodhaven High School. Villemure visited to share her journey as a double amputee and her experiences with prosthetic technology, perfectly complementing the class’s unit on body systems and engineering design projects, including their recent assignment to create prosthetic hand prototypes.
Born in Bulgaria without legs, Villemure has used prosthetics her entire life. She brought three sets of prosthetic legs to demonstrate their evolution in size, materials, and technology. She also shared how her latest pair has dramatically improved her quality of life.
While at WHS, Villemure connected with Counselor Kelsey Smith, who introduced her to CrossFit and the FYR (Forging Youth Resilience) program. A lifelong athlete, Villemure found new challenges and opportunities through CrossFit, which she says has taken her to “new places,” both literally and figuratively. Her passion for adaptive fitness led her to launch the Adaptive Athlete Experience, a program teaching others what it’s like to workout with physical impairments.
“CrossFit is my favorite,” Villemure said. “It’s functional fitness, which is so important for everyday life. We train a lot of functional movements at the gym.”
Villemure described the intricate process of receiving prosthetics, from sleeve fittings and molds to the final adjustments ensuring a perfect fit. She explained how even minor weight changes can impact the fit of her prosthetics and demonstrated how her high-tech right knee - featuring a microprocessor controlled by a smartphone app - enhances her mobility. This advanced technology, which offers customizable settings for activities like walking or cycling, improves her stability and reduces muscle strain.
Students engaged with thoughtful questions, asking if Villemure could adjust her height or shoe size (she can) and learning about the unique features of her prosthetic legs.
Villemure expressed gratitude for the team behind her prosthetics, whose innovations enable her to live an active life - from excelling in CrossFit to navigating her college campus.
Her visit left students inspired, blending lessons in science, engineering, and resilience in a way they won’t soon forget.
