In 1979, Linda Olson was a 29-year-old medical school graduate. She and her husband of two years, Dave, were visiting his parents in Germany when their lives were turned upside down.
As the result of a horrific car-train collision, Linda was left a triple amputee.
Through this unimaginable tragedy, Linda found her true strengths. She made it her motto to “accept, adapt, and innovate.”
Over the next two years, she learned to walk using prostheses and function with one arm, gave birth to the first of her two children, and finished her medical residency.
And that was just the beginning of the mountains she climbed (some literal) and the challenges she surpassed, including a diagnosis of Parkinson’s in 2015.
It was my great pleasure to interview this inspiring woman for the November Women on Fire membership podcast. And I am honored to announce that our Book To Live By is:
Gone: A Memoir of Love, Body, and Taking Back My Life by Linda K. Olson (*paid link).
The tenacity, resourcefulness, and humor of this big-hearted woman who lives life to the fullest will amaze you. Besides an illustrious 30-year career as a professor of radiology, Linda has traveled the world — often with backpacks, kayaks, and dog-sleds.
Linda and Dave’s great love is another constantly uplifting factor of this story. She writes, “We were strong. We were a team. He was my partner. I knew we could do anything if we did it together.”
In this life-affirming book, Linda acknowledges what is Gone (*paid link) and the resulting pain and difficulties. But she puts her emphasis — and helps readers to focus — on the aspects of life that are truly essential.
I enthusiastically recommend this captivating tale of survival and empowerment.
Wishing you inspiration and power,
P.S. Every day at Women on Fire, we offer expert advice, useful strategies and woman-to-woman support. If you are not yet a member, please consider joining us today!
*As an Amazon Associate, Women on Fire earns from qualifying purchases.
