Amy Purdy
Details
- Date of Birth:
- November 7, 1979
- Height:
- 5' 7"
- Hometown:
- Las Vegas
Bio:
Amy Purdy (born Amy Michelle Purdy on November 7, 1979 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is an American snowboarder and Paralympic bronze medalist. When Amy was 19-years-old, she contracted Neisseria meningitis, a form of bacterial meningitis. The disease struck her circulatory system, which led to septic shock. Both of her legs were amputated below the knees and she lost both kidneys to the disease. Though doctors gave her a 2% chance of survival, she made a recovery. Amy began snowboarding seven months after she received her first leg prosthetics. A year after her amputation, she finished third in a snowboarding competition. The victory earned her a grant from the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which allowed her to compete in several U.S. snowboarding competitions. She was recruited by the CAF to be their spokesperson. In 2003, she began modeling and acting, even appearing a Madonna music video. In 2005, she made her film debut in What’s Bugging Seth. In 2014, Amy took home the bronze medal in the Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. She was a contestant on Season 18 of Dancing with the Stars, pairing up with Derek Hough. She finished as a runner up to Meryl Davis in the dance competition.
Best Known For:
Amy Purdy is best known as a Paralympic medal winner and a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.
Personal Life:
Amy and her partner, Daniel Gale, participated on the 21st season of The Amazing Race in 2012. They were married in 2015. In 2014, she appeared on The Price Is Right as a guest model. In 2015, she was featured in a Super Bowl ad for the Toyota Camry.