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Amy Purdy Takes On Hollywood
By Meredy Fullen Appropriately nicknamed "Purdygirl" among her circle
of family and friends, Amy Purdy has taken Hollywood by storm,
making her presence known. Although Amy is a youthful and energetic
24-year-old, her spirit is mature beyond her years. She possesses
the uncanny ability of quietly demanding attention, turning heads
when she walks into a room. People in Hollywoodimportant and
well-connected peoplehave apparently taken
notice.
Big Break Comes Early
 Amy, a bilateral below-knee amputee and advocate
for Freedom Innovations Inc., Irvine, California, has been cast in
a leading role for an upcoming independent motion picture.
"What's Bugging Seth," a drama by Man of Steel
Productions, is presently being shot in Monterey, California, with
a pre-release date scheduled for October 2004 and a theater release
later in 2005.
"What's Bugging Seth" is based on a man who is
hearing-impaired looking for success in both business and life (the
movie's producer, Eli Steel, is hearing-impaired). He meets Amy's
character, and their relationship changes their lives dramatically.
The movie focuses on the issues of insecurity, independence, and
learning to be comfortable with who you are.
Although the plot may be a familiar genre in filmmaking, casting
an actual bilateral amputee in a lead role is not. The cast and
crew for the film believe the movie will make great strides for
physically challenged persons throughout the world, showing that
although people may have physical differences, they face the same
challenges and struggles throughout life. The film's use of a
bilateral amputee also brings the abilities and potential of
amputees to a new and exciting level.
A Change in Direction
 Amy was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada,
where she grew up with a deep-rooted sense that her life would have
a purpose that would have an impact on others. An avid skier and
snowboarder, Amy developed a love for physical fitness and outdoor
activities.
At 19, Amy's life took an alternate path. After experiencing
flu-like symptoms for about 24 hours, she was rushed to the
hospital in a state of septic shock. En route to the hospital, Amy
experienced respiratory and renal failure. These factors, combined
with a blood condition called disseminated intravascular
coagulation (DIC), in which the blood becomes extremely thin and
creates microscopic blood clots, caused Amy to lose circulation to
her feet, hands, nose, ears, and kidneys, and caused her lungs and
adrenal glands to hemorrhage. Miraculously, her heart and brain
were unaffected. After 32 blood transfusions and removal of her
ruptured spleen, doctors diagnosed Amy with Neisseria
meningitis.
Following this, Amy was in a coma for more than three weeks, and
doctors gave her a two-percent chance of survival. Due to the lack
of circulation she had suffered at the beginning of her ordeal,
doctors had to amputate her legs below the knee. Her other
extremities regained their circulation and escaped amputation,
although almost two years later Amy received a kidney transplant
from her father. She was the first person in Las Vegas in more than
20 years to contract Neisseria meningitis and survive.
After going through this life-altering trauma, Amy challenged
herself to move on with her life and not only regain some sense of
"normalcy," but also attain goals that even people who have both
legs struggle to achieve. Through a sponsorship from Ohio Willow
Wood, Mount Sterling, Ohio, she received a grant from the
Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), Del Mar, California, which
allowed her to travel to various snowboarding competitions in the
US.
Just weeks after her kidney transplant, Amy entered a
snowboarding competition, where she medaled in three events. Months
later, Amy attended a Disabled Sports USA (DS/USA) track and field
event in Chula Vista, California, where she hoped to meet other
female amputee athletes. One day into the competition, the other
athletes convinced Amy that she could run and persuaded her to
enter the women's 100-meter race. After some brief modifications to
her prostheses by Kevin Carroll, CP, FAAOP, vice president of
prosthetics for Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, Bethesda,
Maryland, Amy found herself standing on the starting line among a
number of world champions. Although she finished last in that race,
Amy found a new direction.
Path to Hollywood Revealed
At the track meet in Chula Vista, Amy met Tabi King, director of
programs and development for CAF, who immediately recruited Amy as
a spokesperson for the nonprofit organization. In 2003, Amy moved
to San Diego in order to be closer to CAF, get more involved, and
to continue her occupation as a massage therapist. This relocation
opened several doors for Amy in the modeling and acting industry.
In February of the same year, Amy played a runway model in a music
video for Madonna, who reportedly took a personal interest in Amy,
coaching her through her video role and commenting on her amazing
spirit. Also in the audience during the filming of the video were
Jack Nicholson, who predicted that Amy would be a hit in Hollywood,
and Sophia Loren, who remarked on Amy's extraordinary beauty and
stage presence.
 Amy has modeled for various photography projects,
including Freedom Innovations Runway" prosthetic foot ads, and is
currently featured in the first edition of Fugue Magazine,
an art, culture, and music magazine. "To see our products have such
a positive and life-altering impact on amputees is the best that
the team at Freedom Innovations could hope for," said President and
COO Richard Myers. "The Runway foot is an extraordinary prosthetic
foot, and Amy's success with it in both her personal and
professional life is a true testament to its viability. We are
proud to see Amy, as one of Freedom's Amputee Advocates, providing
inspiration to amputees through her work."
Re-gifting the Success
Never one to take success for granted and recognizing how
abruptly life can change, Amy is making plans to pass her good
fortune on to others. She is currently forming a nonprofit
organization to help provide persons with disabilities the
opportunity to participate in action sports, such as snowboarding,
skateboarding, and surfing. Her goal is to assist others with
adaptive equipment costs and offer training and motivation. Amy
also hopes to include music and art programs to provide a cultural
influence and to encourage disabled artists to become involved.
This is a true testament to Amy's spirit. 
Table Of Contents - October 2004
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