Amypurdygurl

Amy Purdy lost both legs below the knee at age 19 after contracting bacterial meningitis that sent her body into septic shock. The illness also cost her her spleen and both kidneys — her father donated one of his kidneys to save her life — an experience she credits as the origin of her philosophy around resilience and living with purpose.

Yes, Amy Purdy made history as the first Paralympian to compete on Dancing with the Stars, joining Season 18 in 2014. She partnered with Derek Hough and finished as runner-up, with routines that openly showcased her prosthetic legs rather than hiding them.

Amy Purdy is a competitive adaptive snowboarder who has earned three Paralympic medals across her career, making her one of the most decorated Para snowboarders in the sport. She was a key figure in helping establish Paralympic snowboarding as a recognized global competitive discipline.

Amy Purdy wrote On My Own Two Feet: From Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life, which became a New York Times bestseller. Her TikTok bio also references a newer book she has been actively promoting to her audience.

Amy Purdy co-founded Adaptive Action Sports, a nonprofit that creates opportunities for young people with physical disabilities to participate in action sports like snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing. The organization is a central part of her mission to expand access and visibility for the adaptive sports community.

Amy Purdy has a long-running brand partnership with Toyota as part of their #teamTOYOTA ambassador program, appearing regularly in content under the #letsgoplaces campaign. The partnership aligns her with Toyota's broader messaging around mobility, freedom, and overcoming physical limits.

Amy Purdy danced with professional partner Derek Hough during her run on DWTS Season 18. Their partnership was widely praised for performances that worked creatively around her prosthetic legs while challenging what audiences expected from a contestant with a physical disability.

Amy Purdy has shared that watching Paralympic sprinter Ezra Frech compete on DWTS stirred deep emotions because she was the show's first-ever Paralympian and understands the weight of representing the disability community in a mainstream entertainment arena. Seeing another adaptive athlete carry that mantle brought those personal memories and feelings back to the surface in a powerful way.

Amy Purdy uses #representationmatters to underscore the broader significance of disabled and adaptive athletes appearing in mainstream spaces — from Paralympic podiums to primetime TV. For her, visibility is core to her advocacy work, reflecting her belief that showing up in these spaces creates real impact for people with disabilities who rarely see themselves represented.

Yes, Amy Purdy is an active keynote speaker who has presented at major institutional and corporate events, including Goldman Sachs gatherings she has referenced in her social content. Her talks center on resilience, adaptive thinking, and living a life of purpose — themes drawn directly from her story as a meningitis survivor, Paralympic medalist, and bestselling author.