Gone

When Linda Olson became a triple amputee at twenty-nine, her husband declared, “I didn’t marry your arms and your legs.” This is the inspiring memoir of how they chose not to be victims and went on to succeed in careers as physicians, become parents, and travel the world.

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Linda Olson and her husband, Dave Hodgens, were young doctors whose
story had all the makings of a fairy tale. But then, while they were
vacationing in Germany, a train hit their van, shattering their
lives—and Linda’s body. When Linda saw Dave for the first time after
losing her right arm and both of her legs, she told him she would
understand if he left. His response: “I didn’t marry your arms or your
legs. If you can do it, I can do it.”





In order to protect their loved ones, they decided to hide the truth
about what really happened on those train tracks, and they kept their
secret for thirty-five years. As a triple amputee, Linda learned to walk
with prostheses and change diapers and insert IVs with one hand. She
finished her residency while pregnant and living on her own. And she and
Dave went on to pursue their dream careers, raise two children, and
travel the world.





Inspiring and deeply moving, Gone asks readers to find not only
courage but also laughter in the unexpected challenges we all face. The
day of the accident, no one envied Linda and Dave. Today, many do.