Amy Purdy, who inspired a nation on Dancing with the Stars and has
been called a hero by Oprah Winfrey, reveals the intimate details of her
triumphant comeback from the brink of death to making history as a
Paralympic snowboarder.
In this poignant and uplifting memoir, Dancing With the Stars
sensation Amy Purdy reveals the story of how losing her legs led her to
find a spiritual path. When the Las Vegas native was just nineteen, she
contracted bacterial meningitis and was given less than a two percent
chance of survival. In a near-death experience, she saw three figures
who told her: "You can come with us, or you can stay. No matter what
happens in your life, it's all going to make sense in the end." In that
moment, Amy chose to live.
Her glimpse of the afterlife--coupled with a mysterious premonition
she'd had a month before --became the defining experiences that put
Amy's life on a new trajectory after her legs had to be amputated. She
wouldn't just beat meningitis and walk again; she would go on to create
a life filled with bold adventures, big dreams, and boundless
vitality--and share that spirit with the world. In 2014, Amy--the only
competitor, male or female, with two prosthetic legs--claimed a bronze
medal for the U.S. Paralympic team in adaptive snowboarding. She then
became a contestant on season eighteen of Dancing With the Stars, and
viewers were captivated as the girl with bionic legs managed to
out-dance her competitors all the way to the finale.
Amy's journey is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and
the capacity we all have to dream bigger, defy expectations, and rewrite
our stories. Amy was given a second chance for a reason--to use her life
to inspire others. Her powerful memoir urges us to live life to the
fullest, because we are all a lot more capable than we could ever
imagine.
