What happens when you survive COVID… but wake up to a completely different life?
In this powerful episode of We’re Not Stumped, host Mike Bolland sits down with Brianna Heitzman, a certified employment specialist with Down Syndrome of Louisville, whose life was forever changed after a severe battle with COVID-19.
After being placed on a ventilator and ECMO, Brianna faced an unimaginable outcome—the loss of her legs. But her story doesn’t end there.
This is a conversation about resilience, identity, and rebuilding a life with purpose.
Mike and Brianna dive into:
• Her near-death experience and long road to recovery
• The emotional and physical realities of limb loss
• Learning to adapt and regain independence
• Navigating prosthetics and ongoing challenges
• The ERTL procedure and what it means for recovery
• How her experience shaped her work helping others with employment and benefits
• Her involvement with the Moving Forward Amputee Network
Brianna’s journey is raw, real, and deeply inspiring—a reminder that even after life-changing trauma, there is still a path forward.
🎧 Listen now and subscribe for more powerful stories from the limb loss and disability community.
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Three years after her first appearance on We're Not Stumped, Rose Booth returns to the podcast to share an extraordinary journey of resilience, faith, and new beginnings. After enduring 14 surgeries, multiple episodes of sepsis, a heart attack, and the loss of her right leg above the knee, Rose found herself on a path she never expected. A former technology executive, she left corporate America behind and discovered a passion for writing and ministry. In this episode, Rose discusses her memoir Dancing in the Valley and the inspiration behind her new children's book, Rosie and Her Robot Leg. Inspired by the children she serves through Vacation Bible School and the questions they asked during her recovery, Rose created a story designed to help children, parents, and teachers better understand limb loss and disability.
Over the years, I've been asked a lot of questions—some serious, some funny, and some I've heard more times than I can count. In this solo episode of the We're Not Stumped Podcast, I'm answering five of the questions I get asked a lot. Do I wear a prosthesis? How do I bowl with one hand? Have I always had a positive attitude? Do people still stare? And what keeps me motivated? I'll share some stories from growing up with a limb difference, becoming the first person with limb loss to compete on the PBA Tour, overcoming cancer, and why I've learned that attitude isn't something you're born with—it's something you choose every day.
In this episode of the We're Not Stumped Podcast, Mike Bolland welcomes Lynn Jensen, author of Best Kept Secrets for Travelers With Sight Loss, to share her remarkable journey from sudden blindness to living an independent, adventurous life filled with travel, purpose, and humor. Lynn discusses the challenges she faced after losing her vision, from relearning everyday tasks to navigating the world with guide dogs. She shares practical travel tips for people with sight loss, explains common misconceptions about blindness, and discusses how independence looks different for everyone.
