MESA, AZ — Mike Bolland of Mesa carries a lot of titles, including father, husband, accomplished pro-bowler, cancer survivor, child actor, podcaster, inventor, handyman, and comedian – and he’s been able to do it all with one hand.
At eight years old, an appointment with a prosthetic maker led Bolland to be cast in the major motion picture, The Trial of Billy Jack.
That opportunity was an ‘ah-ha moment’ for Bolland that being born without a right hand is only a disadvantage if you let it become one.
“I bought this with the money from The Trial of Billy Jack,” said Bolland, showing off his 1951 Chrysler Windsor.
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Now at age 59, Bolland has lived a true American dream story with chapters yet untold.
He broke barriers as the first congenital amputee bowler on the PBA tour with multiple perfect 300s in his trophy case.
“My mom would drop me off at the bowling alley and I would just bowl all day,” he said.
He previously joked he tried to bowl with his right hand but it didn’t work out.
After his time on tour, Bolland spent three decades working his way from the garage up to the corporate offices of Discount Tire.
His late father, Joseph, taught him the importance of a vice grip to allow him to work as a mechanic and handyman with just one hand.
Following up with Bolland after we first shared his story in May of 2023, there are some untold aspects of his life he recently opened up about.
He shared he’s an inventor with multiple patents and trademarks.
He’s the mastermind behind the ‘two-fisted beer drinker’ mug; he jokingly acknowledged a one-handed man invented a two-fisted beer mug.
“It shares the beer between two (mugs), so you can do 'black and tans,' Bloody Marys,” he said pulling out a mug.
A pivotal moment in his life was being diagnosed with throat cancer. That battle showed him life is too short and precious to avoid things that scare or challenge you, so he aimed to drain one of the buckets on his list: doing stand-up comedy.
His material doesn’t shy away from self-deprecation. Starting a comedy set he would walk on stage, put both arms in the air, and say, “OK, something’s missing,” to break the ice about his disability.
He’s not shy about using prop jokes either.
“We actually found one of my baby shoes, and what amazes me — it still fits,” he said putting it on his right arm.
That knack for performing has since transitioned to his ‘We’re Not Stumped’ podcast where he interviews people from all over living with limb loss and how they’ve overcome that adversity.
On May 11, the day before Mother's Day, the husband and father of two daughters will take his motivational and, at times, funny story to the Herberger Theatre for two shows where he’ll share how his late parents helped him make him the man he is today.
Bolland says when he was born, doctors told his mother he didn’t have a right hand. His mother, Marie, responded with something to the degree of: “Is that it? Because I can handle that.”
That mantra of embracing adversity and coming out stronger on the other end is how Bolland has found success and happiness in life.
”I really want people to look at others, and look beyond their physical appearance, and be more accepting of everyone,” he said.