Interview
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Amy Purdy’s life has been anything but ordinary. A passionate snowboarder and travel lover, her life took a detour at the tender age of 19 when she contracted meningococcal meningitis. Given less than a two percent chance of survival, she lost both her legs below the knee. Undeterred, Amy challenged herself to move on with her life and attain goals that even those who have both legs struggle to achieve. She is one of the top-ranked adaptive snowboarders in the world, and a threetime Paralympic medallist. Best-selling author, Oprah Winfrey Hero, co-founder of Adaptive Action Sports with her husband Daniel Gale, competitor in Dancing with the Stars and travelling the globe as a motivational speaker are just some of her other achievements. After a setback to her health in the past couple of years, Amy is having to learn to walk all over again. Finding some rest and recuperation time in Antigua, The Citizen caught up with Amy and Daniel to find out about their incredible and challenging journey.
You’ve done so many things in your life - how would you describe yourself? I would first say I’m a motivational speaker, as that is what keeps me the busiest. I would also choose snowboarder; right before this injury I had just finished the 2018 Paralympic games where I won two medals and I would add New York Times Best Seller author for the book I wrote in 2014. The world is now shifting, but I am shifting with it. I’m not snowboarding, but I consider myself a multipassionate entrepreneur and I am bringing out a jewellery collection. I also want to inspire and motivate more people outside of my usual corporate audience, like my social media following who have been so supportive throughout my latest injury. I’ve also just started a podcast called Bouncing Forward to help people overcome obstacles in their lives.
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THE CITIZEN
