Snowboarder Amy Purdy on Her Life as an Adaptive Athlete

In our December issue, we feature Amy Purdy as one of the planet's most powerful innovators. Eleven years ago, Purdy lost her legs after getting a life-threatening case of bacterial meningitis. That didn't stop her from picking up a snowboard and getting after the slopes. Since then, she's won three gold medals in adaptive events.

Along the way, in 2004, she formed Adaptive Action Sports to give other adaptive athletes a path into extreme sports. In the TED video above, she profiles how her life changed from just before losing her legs to now. It's worth a watch.

–Joe Spring
@joespring