Amy Purdy was 19 years old when she was admitted to hospital.
She left with no legs below the knee. No left kidney. No spleen. No hearing in her left ear.
She was an athlete. A snowboarder. A young woman who had built her entire identity around physical capability and independence. And overnight — without warning — all of that changed.
What she did next is the reason 19 million people have watched her TED Talk.
The Choice She Made in the Operating Room
Amy says she made a decision before she lost consciousness. Not to become a victim of what was happening to her. To find out what was still possible because of it.
That sounds simple. It wasn’t.
The months that followed were full of pain, grief, and an adjustment process that most people will never have to make. She lost the version of herself she had spent 19 years building.
But she held onto the question: what is still possible from here?
She wrote a list. Three things she still wanted to do with her life.
Snowboard again. Travel the world. Live independently.
What Happened Next
Amy Purdy competed at the Paralympic Winter Games. She won bronze at the 2014 Sochi Games. She went on to win three Paralympic medals across her career.
She wrote a bestselling book — Bounce Forward: 21 Tools to Live a Life Beyond Limits — which documents the tools she used to survive and rebuild.
She appeared on Dancing with the Stars. She became a global speaker. She did every single thing on that list from the hospital bed.
Just differently than she had imagined.
That last part matters. She didn’t go back. She went somewhere new.
Her philosophy is not resilience in the traditional sense. She doesn’t want to bounce back — back implies returning to what you were before. She wants to bounce forward. Into something that wouldn’t have been possible without the hard thing.
What This Means for NDIS Participants and Families in Western Sydney
Amy’s question — what is still possible from here — is one we hear asked differently, every day, by the families and participants we support at Kinship Uniting Services.
Not in hospital beds. In lounge rooms in Schofields. In conversations with carers in Kellyville who haven’t slept properly in two years. In phone calls from plan managers in Marsden Park trying to work out why a participant’s community participation funding has never been used.
The situations are not equivalent to Amy’s. But the question underneath all of them is the same.
What is still possible from here?
A participant in The Ponds who hasn’t been to a social activity in 18 months because his previous provider couldn’t find a consistent worker. A young woman in Quakers Hill who was told she couldn’t access community activities because of her communication needs — and who started attending a weekly art group six weeks after moving to Kinship.
These are not extraordinary outcomes. They are what happens when the support is right.
The Role of Consistent Support in Making Possibility Real
Amy Purdy didn’t rebuild her life alone. She had prosthetic technology, medical teams, coaches, and a support network around her.
She also had one other thing: the willingness to keep asking what was possible, even when the answer wasn’t obvious yet.
At Kinship Uniting Services, our job is to be part of the support structure that makes the question answerable. Not perfectly. But consistently.
Same worker. Same days. Same routine. Enough stability that the participant can start imagining what next looks like.
Because you can’t ask “what is still possible from here” if your support cancels every second Tuesday.
Watch the 5 Clips — Amy Purdy’s Full Story in Under 5 Minutes
We’ve pulled five short clips from Amy’s full interview on the School of Greatness podcast. Each one under 60 seconds. Each one worth watching.
[Embed or link all 5 YouTube Shorts here once uploaded]
Clip 1 — The choice she made in the operating room Clip 2 — The three goals that saved her life Clip 3 — How to find hope when you feel hopeless Clip 4 — Why bounce forward, not back Clip 5 — Her three truths for the world
Full interview: youtube.com/watch?v=cIh5YgJ84NI © Amy Purdy / Lewis Howes — School of Greatness Podcast. Shared for educational purposes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kinship support participants with physical disabilities? Yes. We support participants with a range of physical, neurological, and intellectual disabilities across Western Sydney and Australia-wide. This includes participants with limb differences, acquired disability, spinal cord injury, and complex physical support needs.
What is Community Participation funding and how can Amy’s story inspire its use? Community Participation is Support Category 4 under the NDIS. It funds a support worker to accompany a participant to any activity they choose — sport, art, social groups, travel training, community events. Amy snowboarded, travelled, and lived independently. Your participant’s version of that list is what this funding is for.
What areas does Kinship Uniting Services cover? We provide NDIS support across all Sydney suburbs including Colebee, Blacktown, The Ponds, Marsden Park, Quakers Hill, Schofields, Kellyville, Rouse Hill, Stanhope Gardens, Riverstone and Windsor. NDIS services are available Australia-wide. CHSP aged care covers Northern Sydney and the Southern Highlands.
How do I get started with Kinship? Call 0437 733 744 or email info@kinshipunitingservices.com. A 15-minute conversation — no forms, no pressure. We start by listening.
📞 0437 733 744 ✉ info@kinshipunitingservices.com 🌐 kinshipunitingservices.com 📍 39 Victory Rd, Colebee NSW 2761 | NDIS Registration: 4-GWVHCEY
© Amy Purdy | amypurdy.com | Referenced for educational purposes.