Eric Nakamura
Bryce Kanights
Matt Irving
Andy Jenkins
Mark Whiteley
Sean Cliver
NEW LEGS
Some days I struggle to find my feet in my new home, California… Everything is different; people don’t know what I’m saying (and vice-versa), they spell things with a “z” instead of an “s”, they drive on the wrong side of the road, the seasons and months are backwards, and I can’t recognize anything in the grocery store. Although i have found the American alternative to my favorite delicious munchy treat “Twisties” which here it’s called “Pirate Booty”!
Anyway, fellow Element Eden Advocate, Amy Purdy is the strongest, most motivated person I know. At the age of 19 she contracted a form of Bacterial Meningitis that left her in a coma for over three weeks, resulting in the amputation of both of her legs below the knee. Since then, Amy hasn’t let her life altering circumstances hold her back. Today she is a competitive snowboarder, has a modeling and acting career, and has also created the non-profit organization, Adaptive Action Sports, which helps people living with permanent disabilities get involved with action sports like snowboarding and skateboarding… Just talking to her, brings new inspiration and meaning to life!
Over the weekend, I was invited to document Amy’s fitting for new legs by her sponsor, Ossur. It was amazing to experience, as you would imagine, anyone with prosthetic legs would look forward to the day they can walk (again). In Amy’s situation, she has taken leaps and bounds, mentally and physically, working with Ossur to innovate and enable her to better her snowboarding and active lifestyle.
This is a photo series I shot, which is a look inside a foreign, yet wonderful world of modern technology and positive thinking.
- Amber B
- www.amypurdy.com
- www.adacs.org
- amy-purdy.blogspot.com
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January 12th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
She sounds like an amazing human. Great photos too, Amber.
It’s weird, yours kinda mirrors an experience that I had when I moved to California. The first roommate I had was Jon Comer (and his wife, Amy, and son, Gabe). Jon had a prosthetic leg that he skated in that looked really similar to some of these ones pictured and though I’m not sure if it’s the same company or not I bet he had a LOT to do with the development of those in some way or another.
Here’s a link to the trailer for a film about Jon:
http://www.agentogden.com/comer/trailer.html
January 12th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Wow, these are amazing. Great stuff.
January 13th, 2009 at 11:31 am
What an amazing story. Isn’t it amazing how some people just don’t even consider the option of giving up? And it’s even more amazing that a lot of those type of people end up on skateboards and snowboards and the like.
January 13th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
What an extraordinary person, Amy is such an inspiration. Just goes to show that the willingness to suceed and a positive outlook whatever the circumstance is an incredible force. Nice photos AB!
January 13th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
You know the photos are great when you look beyond them and feel the story… Wow.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I am very happy with the fact that we as a society are actively treating people with disabilities for the first time ever. By combining engineering, biology and science and applying it, we allow people to live to their fullest potential.
There are remarkable things being done with prostheses nowadays, such as implanting them directly into bone and using force feedback technology to give people a sensation of resistance and touch in the tips of their prosthetic.
Heh, this is what I do so I’m glad to see the exposure. Its a very exciting field to be right now. Things are only going to get better too. We work to rectify a situation that misfortune has placed someone in.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:04 pm
the foot brand jon rocked was (and may still be)flexfoot. jon had the best sponsors, scottish right hospital was one. in dallas the hospital has a rad display of him, and the kids can ride around on some of his promodels….its funny to say about a man that only has one leg, but i envy him
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