Cedar Rapids, Iowa, radio personality Ricky Bartlett found a sense of balance when he became a double amputee in 2022. Barlett lost his right leg seven years after his left was amputated as the result of a bout with flesh-eating bacteria.
Elijah Decious wrote about the popular host for an article in the Gazette of Cedar Rapids.
“Being a double amputee actually feels better,” Bartlett says in that article. “I felt odd before with two different legs. I don’t look at these legs as adversity. I look at them as continuing on.”
Bartlett, 50, a Georgia native who speaks with a Southern accent, has made his listeners part of his journey. He maintains an optimistic outlook on his morning show.
“Losing legs has given me freedom a lot of people don’t have,” he says. “Accept me or don’t, but I have an appreciation for those who do. I don’t put on airs. What you see is what you get.”