Our Blog
What It Takes: The Story of Jamie Brown
There are many ways you could describe Jamie Brown; animal lover, adventurer, and coach just to name a few. But above all else, he has always been an athlete. Brown began playing sports when he was five and hasn’t stopped since. Growing up, he played everything from...
Blind Trust: The Story of Ashley Eisenmenger and Katie Donnewald
“To understand my involvement in sport, you’d have to understand a bit of my upbringing,” Ashley Eisenmenger told me at the start of our conversation. So, let’s go back to the beginning. Eisenmenger is the oldest of triplet sisters, all born prematurely, with...
Finding His Stride: The Story of Patrick Pressgrove
The sun shines and a breeze brushes across Patrick’s skin as his muscles begin to awake and remember his body’s stride. The sound of his carbon fiber feet hitting the pavement below has found its familiar rhythm. Now his attention turns to his breathing. In and out....
From Hood To Coast, to coast-to-coast, Forrest Stump athletes turn COVID-19 disappointment into campaign for justice
It’s a common headline right now in the era of COVID-19. What would have been an epic 199-mile running relay from the top of Mt. Hood, through the beautiful foothills and forests of Oregon, to the rugged Pacific coastline, has now been cancelled due to the coronavirus...
The Sting of An Unreasonable No
“I’m convinced you can’t really be an advocate until you have personally felt the sting of an unreasonable no, the rejection of a perfectly rational argument with a dismissive ’So what,’ and have learned first-hand that the issue is power - power someone has that you...
Disability Inclusion at Specialized Bicycle Components: Riding For Focus
The Specialized Foundation’s Riding For Focus Program uses cycling as a tool for children to achieve academic, health, and social success. Forrest Stump explores how we can ensure we aren’t leaving out students with physical disabilities.
Disability Inclusion at Specialized Bicycle Components: Innovation Center / R&D Test Lab
One of Specialized’s engineers asked, “What is the best way to make a cycling prosthesis?” and we answered, “Want to help us figure it out?” This led to a tour of Specialized’s Innovation Center / R&D Test Lab, and a conversation about the Stumpjumper.
Disability Inclusion at Specialized Bicycle Components: Retül Fit Program
The disability community has often been left out of important medical fields, such as Sports Medicine. As an amputee, Nicole knows that finding a doctor who understands your needs as both an athlete and an amputee is few and far between. But not at Specialized! Nicole had a unique experience fit just for her body through the Retül Fit Program.
Disability Inclusion at Specialized Bicycle Components: What can I do?
Taking a stand on disability inclusion doesn’t have to be a daunting task. In many cases, it can begin with asking the simple question: “What can I do?” This four-part series is dedicated to a great friend and leader who asked himself that very question and created a ripple effect at his company, Specialized Bicycle Components.
“1500 Miles” Honored By Two Leading Film Festivals
“1500 MILES:” ULTRATRIATHLON DOCUMENTARY SHORT CELEBRATES AMPUTEE ATHLETIC TRIUMPH Film Honored by Sonoma International Film Festival and Receives Best Documentary Award at Taos Shortz Film FestivalFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- A film chronicling the accomplishments...
Introducing 1500 Miles, the documentary
Nicole faces challenges that any able-bodied athlete would; fatigue, pain, even fear, but she also has unique issues that make it even more incredible for her to attempt this massive endeavor. The story is bigger than just the journey. It’s about Nicole pushing...
A “stump” to speak on…I’m taking both of my stumps to D.C.!
It was almost a year ago that I attended my very first rally in Washington, D.C., the March for Science. With a printer, iron, and a gray organic cotton t-shirt in hand, I designed my own shirt which read: #BecauseScience, I Can Walk. Run. March. On the design were...
What Martin Luther King Jr. taught me
In January, I had the great honor to speak on a panel called "Advocacy in Action" at the University of Michigan. I was invited back to Ann Arbor as part of a week-long celebration honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The theme was "The Fierce...
In 2017, you helped me re-write my story
January 1, 2018 Dear family and friends, I read a quote recently which struck a cord: "There are the stories that you're born into versus the stories that you choose to live." Forrest Stump and our 1,500 mile odyssey down the coast was a story I never imagined I'd be...
Am I disabled or too-abled?
In the 16 years I’ve been an amputee, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent advancing prosthetic limb technology. I’ve seen articles published left and right saying: “The Insane and Exciting Future of the Bionic Body,” (Smithsonian) or, “An Amputee Sprinter:...
The gift of running
My last memory of running on both my legs was in the fall of 2001. I had just moved to Rochester, Minnesota with my family and was the new kid in the 5th grade. At recess, my classmates and I would flock to the soccer fields. The grass, freshly mowed and a little damp...
A challenged athlete’s utopia
The stars aligned on our arrival into San Diego. It was the Challenged Athletes Foundation's biggest event of the year, the San Diego Triathlon Challenge, and we were invited as special guests to participate in the three-day, jam packed agenda. Hundreds of challenged...
Tom Hanks sends a message: “Run, Nicole! Run!”
Growing up with Forrest I've been a big fan of Tom Hanks and Forrest Gump since I was a kid. I was enamored by the story, Forrest's adventures, and his kindness to others. Despite being different, he led anything but a restricted life. Yes, "Forrest Stump" is a cheeky...
The sweet smell of victory
Our final day of biking is one I'll remember forever. Although just 72 miles long, this ride felt different. I could finally revel in what we had just accomplished. In a few short months leading up to the trip, we had: quit our jobs, assembled a devoted team of...
Swimming with the sharks
Strength doesn't come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't.Out of the entire 1,500 miles we had planned for our journey, these 1.6 miles were the ones I was most anxious to complete. The funny thing is, I LOVE TO...
Part 12 of 12… Nicole will always be my bold and brave hero!
July, 2002 | Jan Harley In the months to come, Nicole soldiered on with determination and courage. I don’t believe she ever questioned she wouldn’t make it through this, or that she wouldn’t be able to do anything for that matter. A 10 year old spirit is an amazing...
Part 11 of 12… The value of tears.
January, 2002 | Jan Harley Al and I drove home in silence. We were both exhausted and mentally tapped. Upon arriving home, I dropped on the living room couch like a dog finding refuge from his enclosed kennel. Al made dinner and we ate in silence. Normally Al and I...
Part 10 of 12… I would now be Nicole’s #1 patient advocate.
January, 2002 | Jan Harley January, and Nicole's surgery date, soon arrived. I met Nicole and her Dad in the surgery holding area at Methodist Hospital. Many patients were lined up in assembly line fashion waiting for their upcoming surgeries. Nicole was one of the...
Part 9 of 12… The Christmas holidays had an overtone of sorrow.
December, 2001 | Jan Harley We all were fragile and vulnerable at this point. Hearing this news was devastating. Dealing with the day-to-day chemotherapy treatment with Nicole in the hospital was draining. The whole deal was rotten and tough anyway you looked at...
Part 8 of 12… From the innocence of a child comes the wisdom of ages.
November, 2001 | Jan Harley Thanksgiving was around the corner. I had been driving Nicole to one of her appointments when she exclaimed that her hair was falling out in clumps. I handed her a trash bag and she began pulling out big clumps of beautiful sun streaked...
Part 7 of 12… Chemotherapy, Nicole’s ball and chain.
October, 2001 | Jan Harley Nicole’s life and everyone close to Nicole were now experiencing life through a new and altered perspective. The consensus of Nicole’s oncology team was to place her in an ongoing clinical trial Mayo was involved in for the treatment of...
Part 6 of 12… Please don’t let me die.
October, 2001 | Jan Harley An important oncology team meeting was approaching in which the team was going to fill us in on the bottom-line of the treatment of this bone cancer. Up until now, we had learned about the clinical trial for osteogenic sarcoma (bone...
Part 5 of 12… Riding this emotional Ferris Wheel.
September, 2001 | Jan Harley I was now seated back in Nicole’s room and searching within myself for answers to questions I wasn’t even sure what to ask. As I looked up from my quiet contemplation, a nurse was wheeling in Nicole on a surgical gurney. My heart leaped...
Part 4 of 12… Maybe this is a bad dream and I will wake up.
September, 2001 | Jan Harley There was no doubt about it. I had been knocked off my happy mountaintop with the force of a crushing avalanche and was now trying to dig myself out so I could get to my daughter. As I drove back to Minnesota, only one thought was on my...
Part 3 of 12… Life can change on a dime.
September, 2001 | Jan Harley Al and I were immensely enjoying our visit together. It was hard to believe I had only been at his home for several days, because it seemed much longer with so many activities to keep us busy. I had the privilege of seeing Al’s...
Part 2 of 12… The view is wonderful from the mountaintop.
September, 2001 | Jan Harley Here I go again, venturing out on another new beginning in my life. I was on my way for a little vacation with my boyfriend, Al. He had invited me for the first time to visit him at his home in Michigan. What a beautiful Fall day I had to...
Part 1 of 12… Nicole, my bold and brave hero.
Preface Sixteen years ago, I wrote a series of letters about the story of my daughter, Nicole, and our journey together in 2001. These letters were meant to reflect on everything that she went through in those turbulent nine months. She had been diagnosed with bone...
The last straw. My journey to Forrest Stump.
It's crazy to think I've been an amputee now for 16 years; it's even crazier to realize that I've been battling the entire time to access better prosthetic technology. I first realized the system needed to change when at 10 years old, months after my amputation,...
What would make 10-year old you proud?
A friend recently passed along this commercial by Indeed (job search app) and I couldn't help but feel an instant connection to our pursuit with Forrest Stump. The first question: What would make 10-year old you proud? It's not hard for me to remember exactly where I...
Our world needs breakthroughs
Three weeks ago, I received the Victors Valiant Award for my work in fundraising at the University of Michigan. Yesterday, I quit my job. It seems fitting that the words on this award will help propel me into my next venture: "Our world needs breakthroughs. There is...