What does it take to turn a life challenge into a lifelong passion for sports and coaching?
On this episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland talks with Marc Burkom, a double below-knee amputee born with fibular hemimelia who has built a life around athletics, coaching, and helping others reach their potential.
Marc shares how his parents made the difficult decision to amputate his feet when he was just two months old — a choice that allowed him to grow up active in sports like soccer, baseball, and basketball.
Today, Marc works in coaching education and advocates for expanding opportunities for adaptive and amputee athletes. In this conversation, Marc and Mike discuss growing up with prosthetics, the role sports played in building confidence, coaching amputee soccer, adaptive sports like amputee basketball, and how prosthetic technology has evolved over the years.
Marc also shares why amputee athletes should be treated as athletes first — not charity cases — and his vision for future prosthetic innovation.
Mike also introduces Enable Review, a platform where amputees can share honest experiences about prosthetists to help others navigating limb loss find better care.
This episode is a powerful conversation about resilience, sport, leadership, and redefining what’s possible.
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In this episode of the We're Not Stumped podcast, host Mike Bolland welcomes Susan Fumagalli, a true inspiration and advocate for amputees around the world. Susan opens up about her personal journey through limb loss and her experience with osseointegration—a groundbreaking technology that has changed her life and could reshape the future of prosthetics for countless individuals. Susan shares her story, from the physical and emotional challenges of losing limbs to the hope and transformation that osseointegration has brought to her life.
In this episode of We're Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland dives into two powerful stories of resilience and determination. First, we learn about an Arizona teen and shooting survivor who needs a new prosthetic to continue playing the sport he loves: football. Mike explores the journey of recovery, the drive to stay in the game, and the community’s efforts to help him succeed. Then, hear about the life-changing impact of a generous GoFundMe donation from a Vanderbilt professor for a quadruple amputee. Discover how this incredible act of kindness transformed a life.
In this exciting episode of the We're Not Stumped podcast, host Mike Bolland engages in an inspiring and insightful conversation with Daruma cast members John Lawson (a double-hand amputee), Abigail Hawk (CBS's Blue Bloods), and Tobias Forrest (a C-level quadriplegic). Daruma is a landmark film, being the first in American cinematic history to cast both lead actors with disabilities. The film also stars Barry Bostwick (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) and tells a story everyone can relate to—one of friendship, fatherhood, and found family.
