The Mindset That Took Her From 2% Survival Odds to the Paralympics | Amy Purdy
In this episode of The School of Greatness, Amy Purdy shares her journey from facing a bacterial infection with a 2% survival rate to becoming a Paralympic medalist. After spending weeks in an induced coma and losing both legs below the knee, Purdy adapted to life with prosthetics and returned to snowboarding within seven months of her amputation.
The episode covers Purdy's path to becoming the first double-leg amputee competitive snowboarder at her level, her bronze medal win at the 2014 Paralympics, and her success on "Dancing with the Stars." Purdy discusses how she developed innovative prosthetic solutions for snowboarding, her role in bringing the sport to the Paralympics, and her current work as an author and speaker who emphasizes the connection between limitations and opportunities.
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1-Page Summary
Amy Purdy's Near-Death Experience and Amputation
Amy Purdy faced a life-threatening bacterial infection that gave her only a 2% chance of survival. Within 24 hours of her first symptom, she was placed on life support and remained in an induced coma for nearly three weeks. The infection led to multiple organ failures, and as her body fought to save vital organs, it stopped sending blood to her extremities. This resulted in the necessary amputation of both legs below the knees to prevent gangrene spread. Throughout this traumatic experience, Amy maintained remarkable composure, focusing solely on survival and recovery.
Amy Purdy's Resilience and Perseverance to Overcome Adversity
After her near-death experience, Amy demonstrated exceptional adaptability with prosthetics, using the same leg setup for 16 years. Her determination led to remarkable achievements, including competing on "Dancing with the Stars," where she used different prosthetic feet each week to perform various routines. Amy's 2011 TED Talk became a viral sensation, launching her successful corporate speaking career. On "Dancing with the Stars," she and partner Derek Hough worked tirelessly, ultimately reaching second place and proving that possibilities are endless with perseverance.
Amy Purdy's Athletic Achievements and Paralympic Success
Just seven months after losing her legs, Amy returned to snowboarding. She innovated her own prosthetic solutions for the sport, creating specialized feet that enabled better control despite lacking high-tech features. As the only double-leg amputee competitive snowboarder at her level, Amy's advocacy helped introduce snowboarding to the Paralympic Games. Her journey culminated in winning a bronze medal at the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, adapting to challenging snow conditions that competitors likened to quicksand.
Amy Purdy's Impact and Mission to Inspire
Amy's story of resilience has resonated worldwide, leading her to share platforms with influential figures like Oprah and Elizabeth Gilbert. Her book has received endorsements from notable personalities such as Deepak Chopra. Amy views limitations as opportunities for innovation and achievement, using her experiences to empower others. Her ongoing mission includes writing another book and continuing her speaking engagements, all while emphasizing the importance of self-love, creativity, and sharing personal gifts with others.
1-Page Summary
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Actionables
- You can create a "Resilience Journal" to document daily challenges and the strategies you use to overcome them, mirroring Amy's focus on survival and recovery. Start by writing down a difficult situation you faced each day and list the steps you took to address it. Over time, this will help you identify patterns in your problem-solving approach and encourage a mindset of resilience.
- Develop a personal innovation project by identifying an area in your life where you face limitations, much like Amy did with her prosthetics. This could be as simple as finding a new way to organize your workspace to improve productivity. Document the process, the obstacles you encounter, and the creative solutions you devise. Sharing this journey on a blog or social media can inspire others and reinforce your own growth.
- Engage in a new physical activity that challenges your current capabilities, reflecting Amy's return to snowboarding and her dance achievements. Choose an activity that is accessible to you, such as yoga, swimming, or even a dance class. Focus on the progress you make and the adaptations you create to accommodate your level of fitness or mobility, celebrating small victories as milestones of perseverance.
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Amy Purdy's Near-Death Experience and Amputation
Amy Purdy's story is one of incredible resilience in the face of life-threatening illness and its aftermath that drastically changed her life.
Amy's Organs Shut Down Due to Critical Bacterial Infection
As the infection quickly took hold, Amy found herself fighting for her life with only a 2% chance of survival. Within 24 hours after the first symptom appeared, she was placed on life support.
24 Hours After First Symptom, Amy Was on Life Support With 2% Survival Chance
Amy was in an induced coma for approximately two and a half weeks, followed by periods of in and out consciousness for another week. During this time, she battled organ failure including kidney failure, a burst spleen that had to be removed, and collapsed lungs necessitating a breathing machine. Although hooked up to numerous machines, Amy was conscious and aware of her grave situation when she woke from the coma.
After Weeks in a Coma, Amy Awoke to Find Her Legs Amputated Below the Knee
As her body tried to save her dying organs, it stopped sending blood to her extremities. This led to the near loss of her hands and ultimately resulted in the amputation of both her legs below the knees to prevent the spread of gangrene, which could lead to more extensive amputations. The decision to amputate was critical; doctors informed Amy that if they did not amputate her legs at the ankles, they would have to amputate above the knees the following week. Amy recalls the moment the doctor told her about the need for amputation and her decisive response was to proceed in order to survive and move forward with her life.
Amy Demonstrated Resilience and Determination During Her Recovery
Even in what would overwhelmingly be an emotional situation for many, Amy was composed and focused on survival and recovery.
Amid Trauma, Amy Staye ...
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Amy Purdy's Near-Death Experience and Amputation
Additional Materials
Actionables
- You can cultivate resilience by journaling your responses to hypothetical extreme challenges, imagining how you would react and what beliefs would guide you. This exercise can help you clarify your values and mental strategies for coping with adversity, similar to how Amy focused on survival and recovery.
- Develop a personal crisis management plan that outlines steps to take in the event of a health emergency, including a list of support contacts, medical information, and self-affirmations to maintain composure. This proactive approach ensures you're prepared for unexpected situations, reflecting Amy's readiness to do whatever was necessary to recover.
- Practice mindfulness meditatio ...
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Amy Purdy's Resilience and Perseverance to Overcome Adversity
Amy Purdy’s story of overcoming extraordinary challenges is a testament to her indomitable spirit. Despite facing life-altering adversity, Amy's unwavering determination and positivity led to remarkable achievements.
Amy's Near-Death Experience and Amputation Transformed Her Life, but She Refused to Be Derailed
Amy Purdy faced a dramatic detour in her life when she contracted meningococcal meningitis, which nearly took her life. Adding to the ordeal, Amy underwent amputation, but even in the face of this, her confidence that she would be okay never wavered. To survive, she entered "survival mode" and focused solely on the necessities of living, cutting out emotion to cope with the situation. While being wheeled into the surgical room, she set goals for herself as a means to feel in control over the uncertain future ahead.
Amy Thrived With Prosthetics, Innovating Equipment and Techniques
Amy dealt with the limitations of prosthetic technology by using the same leg setup for 16 years, showing incredible adaptability. She shared her experience trying computerized ankles at MIT, which enabled her to enjoy simple pleasures such as her foot dropping naturally when sitting or pushing off the ball of her foot when walking upstairs—actions she didn't realize she had missed.
Amy's Determination and Positivity Led To Remarkable Achievements
On 'Dancing with the Stars,' Amy faced creative challenges by dancing with different prosthetic feet each week, including running blades. Her ability to push through fear, pain, and doubt was on full display as she adapted and performed in every routine, managing to reach the semifinals of the show. Amy stressed her desire not to appear good "for a girl with prosthetics," but to compete equally with all dancers.
Amy's Journey: Inspiring and Opening Opportunities
Amy's Viral Ted Talk Launched Her Career
Amy's TED Talk in 2011 became a defining moment, gaining high regard and being used as an example of how to give a TED talk. The process of preparing for the talk was intense; she had to translate 30 years of her life into an eight-minute presentation. When the talk went viral, it spurred her corporate speaking career, and she still feels ...
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Amy Purdy's Resilience and Perseverance to Overcome Adversity
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Actionables
- You can set small, achievable goals each week to build a sense of control and accomplishment in your life. Start by identifying one area you want to improve, such as your fitness level or a professional skill. Break down your goal into weekly tasks, and track your progress in a journal or app to visualize your achievements and maintain motivation.
- Develop your storytelling skills by summarizing a significant event in your life into a short, impactful narrative. Choose an experience that changed you in some way, and write a three-minute story that captures the essence of that event. Share it with friends or family to get feedback and refine your ability to convey emotions and lessons learned succinctly.
- Embrace adaptability by trying a ne ...
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Amy Purdy's Athletic Achievements and Paralympic Success
Amy Purdy has demonstrated exceptional perseverance and creativity to achieve her goal of snowboarding after losing her legs, which led to her remarkable success at the Paralympic Games.
Amy Achieved Her Goal Of Snowboarding Within a Year Of Losing Her Legs Through Perseverance and Creativity
Amy Purdy set an ambitious goal to return to snowboarding within a year of losing her legs. Remarkably, Amy was back on a snowboard seven months after her loss and only four months after receiving her prosthetics. Despite initial challenges, such as stiff prosthetic ankles that hampered her ability to bend and carve on the snowboard, she managed to cruise down the slopes.
Amy Innovated Her Prosthetics For Snowboarding Movements
Grasping the complexities of border cross, a sport that requires the use of ankles for jumps and maneuvers, Amy Purdy innovated her prosthetics for the unique demands of the sport. As the only double-leg amputee competitive snowboarder at that level, she faced competitors with less severe impairments. To work around the limitations of stiff ankles, Amy created prosthetic feet specifically for snowboarding that enabled better control despite their lack of high-tech features like shocks and springs.
Amy's Snowboarding Success Led Her to Co-found an Organization That Introduced the Sport To the Paralympic Games
Through her continued excellence in snowboarding, Amy played a critical role in advocating for the sport. This advocacy eventually led to the inclusion of snowboarding in the Paralympic Games, a milestone for athletes with disabilities.
Amy Won Bronze In ...
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Amy Purdy's Athletic Achievements and Paralympic Success
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Actionables
- You can set a personal challenge with a clear deadline to foster determination and focus, much like setting a goal to achieve something significant within a specific timeframe. Start by identifying a skill or project you've been putting off, and commit to mastering it or completing it within the next six months. Track your progress with a journal or app to maintain motivation and accountability.
- Develop a habit of daily creative problem-solving to enhance your adaptability, inspired by customizing tools to better suit your needs. Dedicate 15 minutes each day to brainstorming ways to improve an aspect of your daily routine or work process. Whether it's finding a new route to work to save time or devising a unique storage solution for your home, the key is to think outside the box and implement these solutions.
- Cultivate a support network that encourages resilience, tak ...
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Amy Purdy's Impact and Mission to Inspire
Amy Purdy is a figure of tenacity and resilience whose life story has touched countless individuals. Her journey has not only inspired many but also set her on a mission to empower others.
Amy's Story Of Overcoming Adversity Resonates Worldwide
After confronting and overcoming the loss of her legs, Amy Purdy has found ways to resonate with people globally. As Purdy recuperated, she drew inspiration from watching Oprah and her guests, which fueled her drive to move forward. Purdy's resilience and message of possibility saw her, eventually, sharing platforms with influential individuals like Oprah and Elizabeth Gilbert on speaking tours. Her book has been endorsed by figures such as Deepak Chopra and Gilbert, spreading her message even further through written word and media.
Amy Aims to Inspire and Empower Others Through Her Experiences
Purdy's experiences extend beyond her personal achievements; she aspires to empower others. By showcasing how she adapted her prosthetics not only for snowboarding success but for day-to-day life, Purdy demonstrates her belief that limitations are merely pathways to innovation and accomplishment.
Limitations Are Opportunities to Achieve More
Purdy’s philosophy that constraints are opportunities beckons others to find ways to thrive within their own challenges. Her adaptability in both her sport and daily life is a testament to her drive to achieve more regardless of the limitations she faces.
Amy's Mission: Maximize Time, Keep Learning, and Inspire Others
Throughout her dialogue, Purdy conveys the value of living an inspired life and harnesses this energy to provoke similar passion in others. While she admits she never intended to inspire, her actions, grounded in inspiration and a desire to surround herself with inspiring individuals, inadvertently encourage others to find their own passion and purpose.
Pur ...
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Amy Purdy's Impact and Mission to Inspire
Additional Materials
Actionables
- You can create a "Limitation Ledger" to document and reframe your personal challenges as opportunities. Start by listing the limitations or challenges you face in one column of a notebook or digital document. In the adjacent column, brainstorm innovative ways to turn each limitation into an opportunity for growth or creativity. For example, if you find yourself limited by a small living space, consider it an opportunity to declutter and optimize your organization skills, or even to explore minimalist living.
- Develop a "Passion Project Planner" where you outline a project that aligns with your interests and aims to contribute positively to others. This could be as simple as starting a blog to share your journey with a particular hobby or volunteering for a cause that resonates with you. The planner should include specific goals, action steps, and timelines to keep you accountable and motivated. For instance, if you love gardening, your project could involve creating a community garden space that also serves as an educational platform for sustainable living.
- Initiate a "Daily Adaptation Diary" to cultivate a m ...
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