Question
How did Amy Purdy lose her legs?
Short answer
She caught bacterial meningitis at nineteen and went into septic shock. Both legs were amputated below the knee. She lost her spleen and the hearing in her left ear as well, and both kidneys failed, so her father donated one of his two years later.
Where this answer comes from
Amy Purdy: Adaptive Action Sports
Amy Purdy lost both legs below the knee to bacterial meningitis when she was nineteen. This short film from Good News Network follows her back onto a snowboard and into the nonprofit she co-founded, Adaptive Action Sports, which has been getting people with physical disabilities onto boards since 2005. It runs under five minutes and is free to watch.
Read the full documentary