Women Who Changed Sports History
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on July 4, 2024
Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy has helped increase representation for athletes with disabilities.
Amy Purdy.
JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images
At just 19 years old, Amy Purdy lost both legs below the knee, her spleen, and hearing in her left ear after contracting bacterial meningitis.
Despite the immense change, she told NIH MedlinePlus Magazine in 2023 that "mentally, I adjusted right away to my new reality." Purdy returned to her love of snowboarding just seven months later, and went on to compete at the 2014 Paralympic Games in 2014 in Sochi, bringing home the bronze . . .
