Vincent Van de Broeck was given just a 10% chance of survival after a devastating e-scooter accident left him with a severe traumatic brain injury. After spending three weeks in a coma, surviving was only the beginning.
In this episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland talks with Vincent about his extraordinary recovery—relearning how to walk, talk, eat, and handle everyday tasks most of us take for granted.
Vincent shares what it was really like to gradually wake from a coma, the difficult prognosis his family faced, and the extensive damage to his skull that eventually required a custom 3D-printed implant.
He also discusses the people who refused to give up on him, particularly his wife and family, who lived through weeks of uncertainty while Vincent was unconscious.
Through his recovery, Vincent came to see resilience not simply as something you’re born with, but as something you can develop and strengthen. That experience also helped shape the ideas behind his book, Everything Feels Impossible Until It’s Done (https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Feels-Impossible-Until-Done/dp/1911774360) .
In this episode:
• Surviving a severe traumatic brain injury
• Being given a 10% chance of survival
• What waking from a three-week coma was really like
• Relearning how to walk, talk, eat, and live independently
• Reconstructing his skull with a 3D-printed implant
• The impact on Vincent’s wife and family
• Why hope mattered when the prognosis was bleak
• Developing resilience through adversity
• The role of mindset and consistent action
• The story behind Everything Feels Impossible Until It’s Done
Vincent’s story is a powerful reminder that something feeling impossible doesn’t mean it will stay that way.
Subscribe to We’re Not Stumped for conversations about disability, resilience, recovery, self-advocacy, and people facing extraordinary challenges.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Watch on YouTube
Listen on Spotify
Jeanette Jones is a childhood cancer survivor. Despite many attempts to save her left leg over a period of four years, she had to have her leg amputated at age 16. She discusses her battle to both survive and [...]
In this episode of the We're Not Stumped podcast, I welcome Dr. Eric William Gabriel, a bi-lateral, above-knee amputee, as my guest. He was born and raised in Levittown, Long Island NY, one of the first pre-planned housing developments [...]
Season 2 is in the books! In this season two finale episode, I have three main topics: My thoughts on prosthetics: I am sick of how amputees who choose not to wear prosthetics are treated within the amputee community. [...]
