“I was 19 years old, and I felt like I had the flu one day. Within 24 hours, I was in the hospital on life support, and I was given less than a 2 percent chance of living. It took five days for the doctors to find out that I had contracted bacterial meningitis.”

American actress, model, para-snowboarder

Amy Michelle Purdy is an American actress, model, para-snowboarder, motivational speaker, fashion designer and author. She is also a Paralympic medalist and the co-founder of Adaptive Action Sports. Purdy won bronze at the 2014 Paralympics and silver at the 2018 Paralympics. Her work spans performance, sport, design, and public speaking, and she is known for speaking about resilience, adaptation, and achievement in the face of physical challenge.