Amy M. Purdy (born November 7, 1979) is an American actress, model, world-class snowboarder and 2014 Paralympic bronze medalist, co-founder of Adaptive Action Sports, professional motivational speaker, clothing designer and author. At age 19, Amy Purdy contracted Neisseria meningitis, a form of bacterial meningitis.The disease affected her circulatory system when the infection led to septic shock; both of her legs had to be amputated below the knee, she lost both kidneys,[3] and her spleen had to be removed. Sepsis is when an infection (any infection) causes an inflammatory response, leading to organ failure or clinical shock, and is a common cause of death.[6] In Purdy's case, she went into septic shock in less than 24 hours of getting sick. Doctors gave Purdy only a 2% chance to survive since her sepsis was so advanced.Two years later, she received a kidney transplant from her father.