‘DWTS’ finalist, Paralympian Amy Purdy beat 2% survival odds, lost both legs

Paralympic medalist and “Dancing with the Stars” finalist Amy Purdy says her life changed in a matter of hours when she was just 19 years old; when doctors told him he had less than a 2% chance of surviving the devastating disease.

Today, in a new book aimed at helping others cope with life-changing setbacks, she shares how she rebuilt her life after losing both of her legs below the knees.

In an exclusive on-camera interview with Fox News Digital, Purdy recalled the moment everything changed.

“I was 19 years old when I lost both of my legs below the knees to a disease called bacterial meningitis,” Purdy said. “We have no idea how I got it. At the time, I was a massage therapist. I was also an avid snowboarder and my goal was to travel the world and snowboard.”

The “Moving Forward” author revealed how her health improved almost instantly.

“Then one day I suddenly got sick,” he said. “Within 24 hours I was in hospital on life support, with less than a 2% chance of survival there, and ended up with bacterial meningitis.”

WATCH: ‘DWTS’ FINALIST, PARALYMPIAN AMY PURDY PASSES 2% IMPRESSIVE AFTER LOSSING HER LEGS

The infection triggered septic shock and left his body devastated.

“I fought for my life. I lost both legs below the knee to septic shock. I eventually lost kidney function, my spleen, and the hearing in my left ear; I barely survived,” Purdy said.

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Amy Purdy smiles as she sits on a stool in a casual studio portrait, wearing a white blouse and jeans with her prosthetic legs visible. (Nora Schaefer)

For the then-teenager whose identity revolved around snowboarding and adventure, survival meant starting over.

“You know, I had to figure out who I was in the world again and how I wanted to live my life, how to put one step in front of the other, and I ended up not just moving backwards, but moving forward in a way I never could have imagined,” he said. “I ended up going further than I ever could have imagined… but it took a lot of steps to get there.”

“I was 19 years old when I lost both of my legs below the knees due to a disease called bacterial meningitis.”

— Amy Purdy

Those steps eventually led Purdy to the Paralympics, where he won a medal in snowboarding, and later to the “Dancing with the Stars” ballroom scene, where he competed alongside professional dancer Derek Hough.

But Purdy admitted that the show brought a deeply personal challenge that most viewers never realized.

WATCH: ‘DWTS’ FINALIST AMY PURDY TURNED FEAR INTO GROUNDBREAKING DURING THE COMPETITION

“When I went on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ first of all I had no idea if I could do it with two prosthetic legs,” he said.

She initially turned down the opportunity due to a disability that most dancers underestimate.

“One of my biggest fears going into the show, and I actually said I didn’t want to do the show, was not being able to point my toes,” Purdy said. “And it’s very difficult. So as a dancer you have to be able to point your toes.”

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Since his prosthetic legs are fixed at a 90-degree angle, this seemed impossible until they found a creative solution.

Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy attends the 10th anniversary of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” on April 21, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. (David Livingston/Getty Images)

“I remembered seeing these floating feet in a magazine,” he said, referring to prosthetics designed for fins that allow the toes to point.

“I was able to point my toes with these feet,” Purdy said. “And it actually healed something inside me because suddenly I felt really feminine.”

Moments like these, he said, helped him reconnect with aspects of himself he believed he had lost after his illness.

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“Thanks to ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ there were little moments that helped me find pieces of myself that I thought I had lost,” she said. “After all, they were always there.”

Amy Purdy and professional dancer Derek Hough strike a powerful pose during a live performance on “Dancing with the Stars.” (Disney General Entertainment Content via Adam Taylor/Getty Images)

Purdy expands on the subject further in his upcoming book “Bounce Forward.”

The book marks the first time he shares in depth what happened after his early success, including the moments when he had to rebuild.

“I think the hardest chapter to write in this book was the first chapter about grief,” Purdy said.

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This chapter revisits the painful period when doctors predicted a dramatically limited future.

“That was the beginning of the journey where I injured my leg, didn’t know what I could do again, and the doctors told me, ‘You’ll probably never walk comfortably again. You’ll probably never snowboard again,'” he said.

WATCH: ‘DWTS’ FINALIST AMY PURDY DETAILS HER PAIN EPISODE ON ‘BUNCE FORWARD’

At one point, he said, a surgeon offered a bleak outlook.

“I remember a surgeon saying, ‘I hope one day you can walk to the end of your driveway and pick up your mailbox from your mailbox,'” Purdy recalls.

“You can rebuild and transform yourself over and over again.”

— Amy Purdy

But Purdy backed down and reminded the doctors who he was.

“I had to…beg him and tell him who I was,” he said. “Like, ‘No, I’m a competitive athlete. I snowboard seven hours a day. I did ‘Dancing with the Stars’. I train every day. I walk in airports. I’m very active.’ And he said: ‘I don’t think you can do this again.'”

“So, writing that first chapter and going back to those feelings of losing my identity and who I thought I was was one of the hardest times in my life and one of the hardest chapters to write,” he said.

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Amy Purdy’s “Bounce Forward” is available for pre-order now and will be released on April 14. (Empower Publishing)

Through “Move Forward,” Purdy hopes to help others rethink how they approach obstacles in life.

Rather than trying to “get back” to who they once were, the book encourages readers to move towards something new. It outlines 21 tools that Purdy developed on his own journey of loss, reinvention, and healing.

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After beating her 2% chance of survival and rebuilding her life from scratch, the Paralympian shares a determined game plan for endurance in her new book.

“What I want anyone who reads this and thinks they’re starting over to hear is: ‘Yes, you can start over,’” Purdy told Fox News Digital. “And you can rebuild and transform yourself over and over again.”

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“Life isn’t about everything coming together perfectly,” he added. “It’s about being able to live the best life possible, even when you’re faced with challenges… So every day you have a chance to wake up and decide how you’re going to live your life. And I hope this book helps people do that.”

“Jump Forward” It’s available for pre-order and will be officially released on April 14.

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