Amy Purdy Shares Personal Story Ahead of DWTS Premiere with Derek Hough

Derek Hough slips a dance shoe onto Amy Purdy during practice for Dancing With The Stars while on location in Sochi, Russia, earlier this week.

The duo stole a few hours away from her snowboard training for the 2014 Paralympic Games to work on their cha cha.

A double amputee, Amy, 34, shared her personal story with People mag: “When I was 19 I was really healthy. I worked out every day, I was a massage therapist. I got sick one day with flu-like symptoms. Within 24 hours I was in the hospital on life-support [after a bacterial meningitis diagnosis] and I was given a less than two percent chance of living.”

Amy had lost circulation to her legs and her body went into septic shock, as well as kidney failure where two years later, she received a kidney transplant on her 21st birthday.

“I was literally pieced back together in order to survive,” Amy added. “I say no [about changing her life back to what it was]. I absolutely live the life of my dreams. I got this second chance at life and I live it.”

She continued about their dance, “We’re doing the cha-cha. It’s a fast one! I was thinking, ‘Oh, maybe they’ll give us something really easy because they know how hard I’m working out here.’ Nope! I wish we had more time so I could have gotten more comfortable with it.”

20+ pics inside…