Having just returned from Italy, I am both exhausted and exhilarated. One of the highlights of this trip was getting to know Lucia. Lucia is the girlfriend of our factory owner, Maurizio, in Italy. This was the first time that I was able to really get to know her. She asked to talk to me. She said she was very interested when she heard that a foot doctor from the USA was going to be making shoes in Italy. I was a bit confused as to why this stunning 26 yo Italian woman was so interested in my shoes. Then, she told me her story... As a 13 year old girl, Lucia had broken her leg while jumping on a trampoline.She was in the hospital for a week, and immobilized in a cast for 8 weeks after her injury. As an attractive young woman, Lucia likes to wear fashionable clothing and shoes. She confided that she gets back pain whenever she is on her feet for long periods of time. Somewhat out of curiosity, she asked one of the factory workers to construct a pair of my shoes for her. She then told me that she experiences no back pain at all when wearing my shoes all day! While I frequently say that I am not creating a medical shoe, it is gratifying to hear this story. Lucia then shared another story. She frequently goes to Russia to sells shoes for different Italian shoe companies. While in a Russian showroom, a buyer noticed that Lucia was wearing my shoes, rather than the shoes she was selling. The buyer asked her why and Lucia explained how her back did not hurt when she wore my shoes. As a result of this very personal interaction, we now have interested buyers in Russia. This validates my feeling that there is a universal desire of women all over the world for a more comfortable high fashion shoe! Thank you Lucia for loving my shoes and thank you, especially for becoming my friend!