On My Own Two Feet - by Amy Purdy & Michelle Burford (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

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.

From the Back Cover

America fell in love with Amy Purdy as the incredible girl with bionic legs who managed to outdance her competitors all the way to the season 18 finale of Dancing with the Stars with her partner, Derek Hough. Now, for the first time, Amy reveals the powerful, moving story of her spiritual awakening as a result of a sudden, often fatal blood infection that caused her to lose both of her legs.

When she was just nineteen, she contracted the deadly bacterial meningitis and was given less than a two percent chance of survival. In a near-death experience that Amy has never talked about until now, she saw three beings 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."

Amy seized her second chance at life and earned a bronze medal in adaptive snowboarding at the 2014 Paralympic Games. On My Own Two Feet reminds us to live life to the fullest, because we are all much more capable than we could ever imagine.