Although born without a right hand, Mike Bolland has an impressive list of accomplishments that run the gamut including child actor, professional bowler, comedian, and podcaster. His story was recently featured by Jordan Bontke in ABC15 Arizona’s Uplifting Arizona segment.
As a young boy, Mike made an appearance in the 1974 film The Trial of Billy Jack where he played guitar with a prosthetic. He also made history as the first congenital amputee on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour.
Learning to live his life one-handed, Mike volunteers as an ambassador with the Amputee Coalition and empowers other amputees through his example. In his stand-up comedy sets he even makes jokes around his missing hand to draw attention to it and embrace his difference.
As the host of his own podcast, Mike conducts fun and educational interviews with guest speakers to promote open dialogue about limb loss. No questions are off limits and Mike believes that a positive response to curiosity is the best approach to fostering understanding. “I want to make sure that any correspondence I have with anyone who is either staring or wants to ask a question, is positive that way it will be positive for the next person,” Mike said.