On My Own Two Feet: From Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life

[Read by Jorjeana Marie]

Amy Purdy's powerful memoir urges us to live life to the fullest, because we are all a lot more capable than we could ever imagine.

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 2 percent chance of survival. 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 US Paralympic team in adaptive snowboarding. She then became a contestant on season 18 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.

Amy Purdy is the top-ranked female adaptive snowboarder in the US, a three-time World Cup para-snowboard gold medalist, the 2014 Paralympic bronze medalist, and the founder of Adaptive Action Sports, a nonprofit organization which helps youth, young adults, and wounded veterans, all with physical disabilities, get involved with action sports. She is a professional motivational speaker who has been featured at both TEDx and PopTech, and is also an actress, model, dancer, clothing designer, and an experienced product spokesperson. Amy was the breakout star and a finalist on season 18 of Dancing with the Stars. She splits her time between her homes in Los Angeles and Copper Mountain, Colorado.

Michelle Burford is a celebrity ghostwriter and New York Times bestselling author. She holds a degree in English from Biola University and a master's in educational psychology from Harvard. After working for a number of years working in magazine publishing - including helping launch O, The Oprah Magazine - Burford coauthored Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas' memoir Grace, Gold, & Glory; singer Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart, and most recently Michelle Knight's heartrending story, Finding Me. She loves to travel and is a contributing author to Let's Go Greece.