Episode 16: Molly Lonneman, The Big Idea Behind Her New Website

Hand in Hand

Molly is a senior Exercise Science and Spanish student at the University of South Carolina and will be attending medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in the fall. She became involved with the stroke community during her junior year when she volunteered in the research lab of Dr. Stacy Fritz. Dr. Fritz and her physical therapy students were working on a research project called the NExT Gym, which was a pilot program for stroke survivors to workout directly with physical therapy students in a safe gym environment to improve their strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health in the hopes of preventing another stroke. Through that volunteer opportunity Molly connected with several stroke survivors with hemiparesis who were more than happy to demonstrate how they adapted everyday items, like shoelaces, to make their lives easier. Following that conversation she decided to create the TIPPS website for her Honors College senior thesis project. TIPPS, which stands for Tools & Inventions for/from People Post-Stroke is an online database that’s meant to be a resource for all members of the stroke survivor community and their caretakers where everyone can share their “life hacks” with other people who may be experiencing the same difficulties and might benefit from the creativity and experiences of others. The website can be found at tipps-sc.com and any new submissions, comments or suggestions can be emailed to [e-mail].