She Ran Into a Collapsing Building to Save a Child (Then Lost Her Legs)

What makes a hero? In this special episode, Julie Foudy, Abby Wambach and Billie Jean King celebrate two extraordinary women who stepped up when it mattered most. Rose Veldman was just 10 years old when she risked her life to save a three-year-old girl during Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake. After losing both legs when the building collapsed, Rose went on to become a champion adaptive golfer. Then, UC Davis water polo player Lillie Vehling shares how she instinctively jumped into Lake Washington to rescue three drowning girls. Through these remarkable stories, the hosts reflect on everyday heroes, the power of service and what it means to be the person who steps in to help. Because making a difference doesn’t require fame or recognition—just the courage to act.

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Keep the Party Going:

Who’s your shero, Party People? We want to keep this parade of sheroes going. Tell us about the woman who showed up for you, believed in you, pulled you up or changed your life. Email us at partypeoplequestions@gmail.com. 

Meet Rose Veldman. Rose survived the 2010 Haiti earthquake after running back into a collapsing building to save a three-year-old girl, losing both of her legs in the aftermath. Today, she’s one of the top adaptive golfers in the country and a three-time winner of the women’s Multiple Limb Amputee category at the U.S. Adaptive Open. Learn more about US Adaptive Golf: https://www.usaga.org/

Lillie Vehling didn’t just save three girls from drowning. She’s working to prevent the next one. Lillie and UC Davis teammate Sadie Henry co-founded SWAG, Swim AGs, which provides free water-safety and swim instruction for adults in the UC Davis community:https://swagswimags.org/

Be a scooper, not a pointer. Julie brought up The Dog Poop Initiative, Kirk Weisler’s very real children’s book about the difference between pointing out a problem and actually stepping up to fix it. Very on brand for our sheroes: https://kirkweisler.com/product/the-dog-poop-initiative

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