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Whether she’s biking down the Pacific coast, taking her message to Washington, D.C., or climbing a volcano in Ecuador, Nicole is running around the world helping to elevate the voices of the disability community!

Check out Nicole’s latest posts and follow her @RunForrestStump:

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So honored to have been the Keynote speaker alongs So honored to have been the Keynote speaker alongside Congressman Erik Paulsen at AOPA’s National Assembly last week in Boston! It was a truly surreal and special experience. It’s been 18 months, almost to the day, since I’ve been at a conference or spoken in public. To be back sharing my story and advocating for the disability community was a blessing. And to be able to share the stage with a fellow Minnesotan and outdoor enthusiast, whose Congressional district was the very district I grew up in and where I was diagnosed with cancer!! I mean, it doesn’t feel more like home than that. I have to admit, I was a bit anxious going into it. I was out of practice and Zoom presentations don’t feel quite the same as being on stage. But as my Mom reminded me, I’m just a messenger. This message is bigger than me. This message is bigger than all of us! My speech was a culmination of 4 years of hard work, dedication, and persistence to this message by so many incredible people. Something we started in 2017, four women swimming, biking, and running down the Pacific coast to now almost 10,000 people signing a petition to support. I could not be prouder of what I shared and all the people who have helped me refine this message over the past four years. One of my favorite lines from my speech was this: “It’s been 50 years since running blades were introduced to the O&P community; three decades since microprocessor knees hit the market. How much longer are we going to wait? How many more generations will we allow to go without access? At what point will this become the standard of care?” It’s time for the disability community to take center stage. To have access to the adaptive sports and fitness devices we need to be physically active and included in all facets of society. I’m excited for what’s to come in the years ahead. It’s a blessing to have been able to have found this calling as an advocate and to join so many others in the pursuit of freedom for people with disabilities. #RunForrestStump #WeJustFeltLikeRunning #Advocacy #Amputee #Prosthetics #Speaking #Keynote #Disability #DisabilityRights #Run #Swim #Bike #1500Miles #ForrestStump #AOPA2021 #Boston
Thank you to everyone who made my birthday today s Thank you to everyone who made my birthday today so special 🥳… from the texts, calls, posts and messages! To the 37 donors who raised more than $2,250 for ROMP! To the entire team at @cuboulder Biomechanics Lab (Dr Alena Grabowski, Kara Ashcraft, Stephen Allen, Ang Montgomery) for the opportunity to bike and run all day in the name of science. What better way to spend my 30th birthday than in the name of research for the amputee community!🤘🧪 Today and tomorrow I’m taking part in two research studies working to advance the O&P industry’s knowledge for optimum prosthetic prescription and set-up for activity-specific prosthetics, specifically running and cycling legs! The first study is for female amputee runners, helping to identify optimum stiffness categories of running blades for women. This is such a huge study in that it’s focusing on the female body and how we can best make running blades for women. For the cycling leg study, we will be playing around with different pylon and crank arm lengths and measuring their impact on performance and comfort. There’s so much room for growth and opportunity in both of these areas and it’s exciting to be able to be a small part of this work… I’ll be supplying the sweat, and lots of saliva. 😂😝 Thank you again to everyone who made today special and wished me happy birthday! It was an incredible way to ring in the big 3️⃣0️⃣!!! 📸 cred: @kara.ashcraft6 #RunForrestStump #Amputee #Prosthetics #Run #Bike #biomechanics #boulder #colorado #mobility #runningblade #disability #disabledandproud #research #science
Tomorrow I turn the big 30 and I feel so blessed t Tomorrow I turn the big 30 and I feel so blessed to have spent three decades on this incredible Earth, living life to the fullest! That opportunity wouldn’t be possible without my incredible family, and the doctors, nurses, prosthetists, and nonprofits who helped cure me from cancer and gave me back my mobility. For my birthday, I’d love to pay this gift forward to someone else who needs it most. My goal is to raise $1,500 to provide one prosthesis to a Range of Motion Project @rompglobal patient in Guatemala, who I will be working with firsthand in October! In October, I will be traveling to Guatemala with Natalie Harold @natharold, Stephanie Harold @stephharold, and Katya Madden @katya.madden, to volunteer for a week in our clinic. Nat and Katya will be casting, fitting, and fabricating prostheses all week long. Steph and I will be assisting in that process, as well as helping our patients’ voices be heard! I also look forward to serving as a peer mentor to these new amputees who may need a helping hand, kind smile, and someone to tell them that the journey gets easier. If you’d like to help me celebrate 30 years of life and giving mobility to others, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to ROMP here. Thank you for your support!! #RunForrestStump #ROMPGlobal #MobilityForAll #amputee #prosthetic #birthday #fundraiser #giveback #payitforward #walk #hike #move #ecuador #guatemala
Today’s the day! It’s Climbing for ROMP! I’m so excited to be hiking alongside some incredible people with @rompglobal and @cornerstoneprosthetics out here in Seattle, all in the name of disability rights and fair access to prosthetic care! Together, we will show the power of mobility, the importance of universal access to prosthetic care, and help raise funds for ROMP’s patients so we can give this gift back to others! If you’re getting outside and appreciating your mobility today, thank you. Join us if you can by signing up in the link in our bio. 🙏 Mobility for all! #Climbing4ROMP #WhatsYourMountain #MobilityForAll #ROMPGlobal #WeStillClimb #Access #Prosthetics #Amputees #Healthcare #Run #Hike #Bike #Swim #GetOutside #DisabledAndProud
An epic weekend of hiking in the books with these An epic weekend of hiking in the books with these ladies taking on Mt Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula! 8 miles, 3,010 ft of elevation gain and worth every step for the view. 💪 Plus that Marionberry @whidbeypies 🥧 at the end! 😋 Thanks to @cornerstoneprosthetics for the chance to trial the @fillauer AllPro giving me extra energy return on the way up, and smooth comfort on the way down. We are gearing up for Climbing for ROMP in July and celebrating the 31st anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 31st!! I’m putting together a satellite, in-person Seattle climb for those interested… let me know! And if you have any suggestions on where we should hike, drop it in the comments. Can’t wait! #RunForrestStump #HikeForrestStump #ClimbingForROMP #ROMPGlobal #PNW #hiking #mobility #access #amputee #disabledandproud #disability #unlikelyhikers #hike #outdoors #optoutside #ADA #celebrate
WHAT A MONTH! Wow, thank you everyone so so much f WHAT A MONTH! Wow, thank you everyone so so much for taking part in @rompglobal’s #MobilityMay #ROMP100 challenge and donating to my fundraiser! Together, we raised $1,500 and met my May goal!! 💪🙏 Also huge shout out to my ladies as part of team “Go Blue for Amputees!” for absolutely crushing it this past month. Collectively, Mobility May raised $27,856 to fund 18 prostheses for amputees in need! 🦿🦾🌎Absolutely incredible! Thank you for being part of this. I also set out to do 100 hiking and running miles, and although it was a sprint to the end (aka 25 miles in 3 days 😂), we got it done!! Mobility is truly something I am so grateful for and take advantage of every single day. My prosthesis is my lifeline to the world, and I can’t thank you all enough for your help in providing that to someone else who needs it. I look forward to sharing more updates as we gear up for Guatemala in October, and the adventures that will come between now and then! #grateful #thankyou #RunForrestStump #ROMPGlobal #MobilityForAll #Healthcare #Access #Disability #prosthetics #amputee #disabledandproud #ossur #lifewithoutlimitations
Happy Birthday to my #1 buddy, adventure partner, Happy Birthday to my #1 buddy, adventure partner, and love @natharold! Thank you for being the yin to my yang ☯️. You like quiet/peaceful music, I like it loud 🤘. You fall asleep immediately... I’m wide awake counting sheep 🐑😂. You’re a sprinter, I’m an endurance athlete. You lose your keys, I find them 🔑. But above all, thank you for the beautiful kindness and compassion that radiates through you and all that you do. It’s why I love you. Happy Birthday! #HappyBirthday #RunForrestStump #Love #LGBTQ #LoveisLove #Celebrate #raindropskeepfallingonmyhead
Happy 16th Birthday ROMP! Although I’ve only bee Happy 16th Birthday ROMP! Although I’ve only been part of the organization since 2018 when @natharold and I first flew down to Ecuador to climb Cotopaxi with a team of amputees, I’ve felt part of the family from Day 1. And that’s because of the incredible community and mission behind ROMP. I don’t think any one sentence encapsulates the work of ROMP more than this: “We believe prosthetic limbs are not simply medical devices, but instruments of personal empowerment.” Truly, the work of ROMP is to empower; and we do this in places where we are least expected to be, working with the forgotten amputees of the world. We bring hope and opportunity for better mobility. I’m so proud and excited to share that Nat and I will be traveling down to Zacapa, Guatemala (home to ROMP’s first clinic) in October with our dear friend @katya.madden. Natalie will be bringing her skills as a certified Prosthetist/Orthotist, and Katya her incredible talent in the fabrication of prosthetics and orthotics for a week-long volunteer clinic! I’ll be helping to raise the voices of ROMP’s patients, taking photos and videos, and also sharing my personal story with other amputees as a mentor. Truly a dream team! I’m incredibly excited for this opportunity to help restore the mobility of others like me. My goal is to fund one prosthesis for someone we meet in October by raising $2,021, and I’ll be sharing our story and journey along the way. I’m just $500 short of my goal for this month... Please chip in a few if you can so we can give the gift of mobility to someone in need! Thank you for your support! #RunForrestStump #ROMPGlobal #MobilityForAll #ROMPSweet16 #HappyBirthday #MobilityMay #ROMP100 #WhatsYourMountain #Volunteer #prosthetics #guatemala #mobility #access #amputee #iamadaptive #disabledhikers #unlikelyhikers
Mobility means freedom to explore the world! Thi Mobility means freedom to explore the world! This weekend, @linagarada, @natharold and I packed it in and lived it up! We took on an 11 mile point to point hike with the most incredible views, and I did it all on my new prosthesis, an @fillauer AllPro (posterior mount) thanks to @cornerstoneprosthetics! This foot is like a running blade, but created for walking. And wow, it’s amazing. It’s like walking on a cloud, but packs a punch with energy return. The side to side movement is truly a game changer and opens up a whole new world for me as an amputee. To reflect how my prosthetic care has changed over the past four years and the doors that have opened for me as a result is absolutely incredible. I know I’m truly blessed and lucky to have this level of care. Having a prosthesis you can rely on and that is comfortable is absolutely essential. It’s just as essential as the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. That’s why I’m dedicated to expanding access so that every amputee has an equal opportunity in life. I’m now up to 65.79 miles for Mobility May and $940 raised! I’d love to get to $1,500 this month towards my goal of sponsoring 1️⃣ amputee for prosthetic care in 2021! Please check out the link in my bio to help. 🙏 And I’ll be putting in the miles this week to reach this goal!! #RunForrestStump #MobilityMay #ROMP100 #MobilityForAll #ROMPGlobal #WeJustFeltLikeHiking #Amputee #prosthetic #fillauer #fillauerallproallstars #pnw #hiking #hiker #disabledhikers #unlikelyhikers #moveyourbody #optoutside #access #adaptiveathlete #disability
Day 12 of the #ROMP100 and I’m 31 miles into my Day 12 of the #ROMP100 and I’m 31 miles into my goal of 100 running and hiking miles this month! I am training for the Mount Rainier Half Marathon in July with @kathleenexplores and I couldn’t be more excited. Back in 2016, Kathleen and I did our first ever half marathon together. That’s back when I was running on a walking leg and in physical therapy twice a week... I was literally running my pelvis out of alignment and in so much pain. Kathleen saw that for every step forward she took, I was taking two steps back. It was that incredible journey and training together that eventually led to Forrest Stump and fighting for the rights of people with disabilities!! I couldn’t be more thankful for our friendship AND NOW, the opportunity to do our 2nd half marathon together WITH MY RUNNING BLADE. I mean wow, dreams really do come true. I want to make dreams like that come true for others. Ones where someone’s whole life is flipped upside down for the better. And we can do that by providing a prosthesis for an amputee in need. I’m so thankful and proud of the 14 donors who’ve given $904 so far towards my goal of $2,021 in 2021!! I’m looking for 17 more people this month to sponsor a day of my activity at any amount. Your name will get added to my #MobilityMay calendar! If you’ve already given or are taking part this month, I’m sending you the biggest high five ✋ right now! Thank you all so much for empowering me over these years. Together, we can empower someone else! Link in bio to donate 🙏 #RunForrestStump #MobilityForAll #ROMPGlobal #WeJustFeltLikeRunning #amputee #prosthetic #runningblade #runner #run #iloverunning #wcw #nature #northernmichigan #michigan #puremichigan #give #giveback #adaptiveathlete #amputation #amputee #disability #disabledandproud
Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing women I ha Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing women I have been blessed to call Mom. Mom Mom, Step Mom, God Mom, San Diego Mom, and so many more. They’re not all pictured here, but I know and have felt the love they’ve given me throughout my life. I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without their love and support. Here’s to all the Mom’s that celebrate today. I am so thankful for you! #HappyMothersDay #Mom #MomsMakeItHappen #WomenSupportingWomen #Women #Amputee #RunForrestStump
Me and my 5 toes are now 17 miles in to our 100 mi Me and my 5 toes are now 17 miles in to our 100 miles in May goal as part of @rompglobal’s #ROMP100... and we’re feeling GREAT! Every run with my running blade is an absolute blessing, and I want to give that gift to other amputees. That’s why I’m raising $2,021 in 2021 for an amputee in need. Thanks to my 8 donors so far, we’ve raised $605, surpassing my May goal. 💪 But if there’s anything you know about me, I’m not one to stop... why not see what we can do this month and raise my full goal of $2,021!? Can we get 31 donors to each sponsor a day of my activity this month - at any amount - toward my 2021 goal? I’d certainly like to see us try. I’ll be running and hiking and lifting weights along the way, beefing up my calluses all in the name of Mobility for others. Please join me. Any size gift gets your name on the board (SWIPE ⬅️). Thank you for your support! #ROMP100 #MobilityMay #ROMPGlobal #WeJustFeltLikeRunning #RunForrestStump #MobilityForAll #amputee #prosthetics #runningblade #runner #feelgoodfriday #justkeeprunning #moveforward #giveback #adaptiveathlete #ossur #lifewithoutlimitations #donate #exercise #movementismedicine #mobility
Are you looking to challenge your fitness this mon Are you looking to challenge your fitness this month while getting active for a good cause!? We’re now 5 days in to @rompglobal’s Mobility May Do 100/Raise $100 Challenge and it’s not too late to join! We still have people signing up each day and I’d be honored to have YOU be part. This month we’re not only raising awareness for those who can’t get a prosthetic... but raising funds so they can! 9 out of 10 amputees have barriers to accessing prosthetic care and this month we’re doing something about it. With your help, we’ll fund over 15 prosthetics to change 15 amputees’ lives!! If you value your mobility, consider joining me this month by getting active and raising just $100 towards an amazing cause. Thanks for your consideration and support. Join my team or donate in the link in my bio! #RunForrestStump #ROMPGlobal #MobilityMay #ROMP100 #MobilityForAll #WhatsYourMountain #WeJustFeltLikeRunning
100 miles in May started yesterday for me! This mo 100 miles in May started yesterday for me! This month I’m using my mobility to give back to others and I hope you’ll join me in this effort for @rompglobal. My goal in 2021 is to raise $2,021 to fund 1 prosthesis for a ROMP amputee in need. One prosthesis, that seems so small you might think? Well think about the difference one prosthesis made for me. It completely altered the trajectory of my life, forever. Our gift will give someone confidence, restore their livelihood, allow them to play, to walk, to skip, to run! They’ll have the ability to explore the world, walk alongside their kids, cross a graduation stage, and live their life out with purpose. Now, that doesn’t seem so small to me. You can help me change someone’s life today by donating whatever you can. $10, $25, $100! It all means the world. This month I’d love to hit $500 raised. Will you help me reach this milestone? I’ve dropped the link to donate in my bio. This month I’ve committed to 100 miles of running and hiking and I’ll be posting along the way. Thank you for your support! #ROMP100 #MobilityForAll #MobilityMay #ROMPGlobal #WhatsYourMountain #RunForrestStump #WeJustFeltLikeRunning @merrell @zapposadaptive
I lost my leg 19 years ago as a result of an egg-s I lost my leg 19 years ago as a result of an egg-size tumor in my tibia. I’m privileged that I had the best treatment and best care imaginable. My doctors at the Mayo Clinic saved my life. I never for a second had to worry that I’d be able to walk again. Yet still, access to prosthetic care has always been a fight. My prosthesis has taken me places and allowed me to meet people that have made my life full. We’ve climbed to the top of Cotopaxi, a 19,347ft volcano, and traversed an entire coastline of the United States. We’ve run so fast we felt invincible. We graduated college. We’ve spoken in front of thousands of people. There’s nothing in my life I’ve accomplished without it. Knowing that 90% of amputees don’t have access to this level of empowerment makes me sick. There have been times when I’ve gotten injured and couldn’t wear my prosthesis. In those moments, it’s amazing how quickly my life turned from happy and empowered, to feeling depressed, forgotten, and alone. Freedom comes in many forms. Mobility is one of them. This injustice is long past due and we must come together to realize it. Prosthetic care is essential - from walking to running and everything in between. ROMP is working to change this and I’m proud to be a part of this team, sharing my story for Limb Loss Awareness Month! From our high-quality clinical care in Ecuador and Guatemala, to our prosthetic recycling program, to our Global Component Equity Initiative, ROMP fights for fair access to care. Join me and make a difference by collecting and donating prosthetic limbs, or getting active for Mobility May! Together, we can change this. 📍 Seattle, Washington #AwarenessStartsWithUs #LLAM #LimbLossAwarenessMonth #ROMPGlobal #MobilityForAll #WhatsYourMountain
Today marks the start of Limb Loss Awareness Month Today marks the start of Limb Loss Awareness Month and I’m excited to be teaming up with the Range of Motion Project @rompglobal on their awareness campaign #AwarenessStartsWithUs! 9 out of 10 amputees worldwide do not have access to prosthetic care. This is a horrific injustice we must solve and it’s time we put this issue front and center, especially during a month that is dedicated to individuals with limb loss. This month, I’ll be one of 14 amputees sharing my story about how my life has been transformed through a prosthesis. We believe prosthetics are not simply medical devices, but instruments of personal empowerment. Everyone deserves equitable access to healthcare. Everyone deserves access to their full potential. You can help this month by sharing your own story and taking part in our national component collection drive. Share why mobility matters to you or how your prosthesis has transformed your life. Donate or recruit others to donate new and used prosthetic components for our patients. Together, we can change this. Check out the link in my bio! #AwarenessStartsWithUs #LLAM #LimbLossAwarenessMonth #ROMPGlobal #MobilityForAll #WhatsYourMountain #amputee #prosthetics #access #healthcare #hiking #getoutdoors #movementismedicine #nature #trailrunning #runforreststump #lifewithoutlimitations #PNW #runner #hiker #unlikelyhikers
Thanks to @natharold for always getting me to try Thanks to @natharold for always getting me to try new things! It’s been at least a decade since I’ve been rollerblading and always had some issues with alignment/movement of my prosthetic leg in the boot. In the second pic you can see it leaning = hard to skate on. 😬 Well, with a good ole T-handle and some determination to have fun, we got it done! Nat was able to change the alignment on my leg so that I could skate without pain in my socket AND so that my wheels were perpendicular to the ground! AND IT WAS SO FUN! Video at the end to prove it. 😉☺️ Another new sport I love and will have lots of fun doing thanks to Nat and her willingness to help me make sure I have #nolimits. PSA: I am not wearing a helmet for this trial and that was a bad decision! Helmets are mandatory!! #runforreststump #amputee #wejustfeltlikerollerblading #access #physicalactivity #sport #exercise #disabledandproud #disability #iamadaptive #adapt #bemoreadaptive #goals #beyou #getactive #rollerblade #rollerblading
I think my soul was born in the PNW! There’s som I think my soul was born in the PNW! There’s something about feeling so small that makes you feel so alive. I’ll never get tired of these vistas and looking up at the towering trees above me. Each step I take is a blessing and I’m lucky to have my hiking buddy alongside me for laughs, stories, and cider. In 2021, we are putting our miles towards a goal: to give others their first steps. My team which is made up of some amazing people including @natharold @stephharold @truesuz @lpizzski @kathleenexplores and @paulhaidri will be moving 2,021 miles and raising $2,021 for prosthetic care for those without access. We are part of a larger group - @rompglobal ROMP’s 2021 Mobility Club - which now has 24 teams raising money and miles for mobility!! I’ve put the link in my bio and I’d be honored if you’d sponsor a few of our miles this year. We will share more photos and tales from the trails along the way. #runforreststump #rompglobal #2021rompclub #mobilityforall #prosthetics #amputee #hiking #pnw #access #healthcare #pnw #oysterdome #pugetsound #whatsyourmountain #whatsyourmeowntain #wejustfeltlikehiking
I’m so excited to share this challenge that I’ I’m so excited to share this challenge that I’ll be helping to lead as part of @rompglobal! We are looking for 21 ambitious team leaders to join our 2021 Mobility Club and recruit a team to complete 2,021 miles and raise $2,021 in 2021!! We have workplace teams, school groups, friends, and families dedicating their miles to mobility and helping provide prosthetics to those in need. Throughout the year we’ll be giving out prizes from @kleankanteen, @yeti, @ospreypacks, @honeystinger and more! We’ll also be updating you on the individual lives you’re helping and their first steps towards mobility. I know how important mobility is in my life. Dedicating my miles so that others can enjoy that too was an easy decision! I hope you’ll join me in this quest for #mobilityforall and either join or create your own team! Link in bio to sign up and learn more. Feel free to DM with any questions! P.s. 4th pic in is me and Natalie climbing down off of Cotopaxi back in 2018! We were so exhausted! Amazing shot by @silverlinefilms. #runforreststump #rompglobal #whatsyourmountain #access #healthcare #mobility #freedom #2021in2021 #2021challenge #exerciseismedicine #movementismedicine #amputee #prosthetics
Hello 2021! I’ve been so excited to share this u Hello 2021! I’ve been so excited to share this update in Forrest Stump’s journey... a dream coming to life! Forrest Stump has joined forces with @rompglobal and I’ve joined the ROMP Global Team as Associate Director of Development! The past two weeks have been incredible working together and I’m excited for many more to come. In 2018, when Natalie and I first climbed with ROMP in Ecuador as part of the Elite Team 🗻, it was clear there were incredible synergies in our work. Since then, we've found ways to partner and advance our shared vision of #MobilityForAll. Now, I am excited to bring this partnership even closer by joining ROMP's staff full-time. As part of my role with ROMP, I will bring Forrest Stump’s mission and advocacy programs, #WeJustFeltLikeRunning and The Rights of People With Disabilities to Exercise, helping to expand and unify our organizations' shared reach and impact. Over the next 5 years, our goal will be to raise $5-million to benefit 5,000 amputees in the US and Latin America who would otherwise not have access to prosthetic care. This level of impact will require new partnerships, geographic expansion, and community involvement. We can’t do this alone and I hope you’ll join us in this exciting mission of empowering others through mobility! Learn more through the link in my bio and follow @rompglobal if you’re not already! #runforreststump #rompglobal #united #joinforces #mobility #whatsyourmountain #ourrighttoexercise #queremoscorrer #ecuador #usa #latinamerica #advocacy #amputee #prosthetics #access #2021
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