Home > Work > On My Own Two Feet: The Journey from Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life
1 " Happy and independent—that’s how I felt during this time. I loved my flexible schedule. I loved the healing arts. I loved the amount of money I could make. And even though I’d never imagined I’d be back in Vegas, I also loved being close to my family. "
― , On My Own Two Feet: The Journey from Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life
2 " You’ve been my speaking coach, my life coach, and my friend for life—and I am thankful. "
3 " When we’re focused and determined enough, we are capable of so much. "
4 " Was I nervous? Maybe a little, because I didn’t know what my new life would bring. But more than anything, I felt strong. Brave. Independent. Free. And ready to take on whatever I’d find on the other side of the horizon. "
5 " I did my research and got courageous enough to ask for a competitive rate. That meant I had more money to build a safety net for myself. "
6 " I was becoming more independent. And I was ready to take the next step toward more freedom, toward exploring the many items on my bucket list. I was continuously aware that I’d been given a second chance at life—and I chose to stay—so I intended to pack in as much excitement on my journey as I could. And I kept remembering that voice, that intuitive sense I felt that compelled me to do something different. "
7 " But the truth is that I don’t want to simply offer others a fleeting moment of “inspiration.” I want my story to spark real change. An aha moment becomes most meaningful when it leads us to do more. Dream bigger. Move past our so-called limitations. Defy expectations. Bounce back with the resilience that every single one of us was born with. I didn’t write this book because I want you to say, “Wow, look at what that girl overcame—good for her.” I’m sharing my story because I want you to see what’s possible in your own life. Right here. Right now. Starting the second you pick up your pen and create your own amazing narrative. The words of the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu have always resonated with me: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” What follows is my first step. My first stumble. My first dance. My first dream. "
8 " We can either see our circumstances as a set of random cruelties and then allow those hardships to turn us into bitter victims; or we can recognize the fact that, though we may never comprehend why hard things happen, they do, and when they do, we can reach for a larger purpose beyond the pain. After surviving the loss of my legs and full kidney failure, that is what I have chosen to do. "
9 " The stage from which I can offer that positive energy has gotten bigger as my dreams have evolved. But I don’t need a grand stage from which to share my passions, my inspirations, and my talents. None of us does. In the smallest interactions—a kind word to a friend, a smile to a passerby, a gesture of compassion to even a stranger—we have many opportunities to care for one another, as well as to use our lives and our gifts to the fullest extent. "
10 " We live as if we know how everything will turn out. I certainly lived that way. But we don’t know anything. Really, we don’t. To think otherwise is at best arrogant and at worst foolish. "
11 " As you read through these pages, I hope the same lightbulb moments that have lit my way will bring you some similar insights: That each of us is far more capable than we could ever know. That what at first seems like a detour could turn out to be your destiny. That if you can just practice shifting your viewpoint, an overwhelming challenge can start looking more like a beautiful blessing. I am the living, breathing, dancing proof of that. "
12 " I want my story to spark real change. An aha moment becomes most meaningful when it leads us to do more. Dream bigger. Move past our so-called limitations. Defy expectations. Bounce back with the resilience that every single one of us was born with. "
13 " Here’s what I know: You can spend your whole life questioning. You can scrutinize every little thing you said or did, every little decision you did or didn’t make. It’s normal to look back. We’re human, so we want to understand things—and yes, sometimes there are lessons to be learned. But ultimately, it doesn’t help to keep looking. Or regretting. Or berating yourself for what you can’t go back and change. It’s a waste of energy. "
14 " I felt strong enough. "
15 " This is when I learned that the obstacles in our lives can only do one of two things: stop us dead in our tracks, or force us to get creative. "
16 " We don’t always get to decide which course we go down or know which mountains we’ll face. Yet we always have the most important choice there is: whether to resist, or to give ourselves over to the twists and turns of the terrain. As it goes in snowboarding, so it goes in life. "
17 " So with every dance, we had to completely go back to the drawing board and cross our fingers that we would figure it out. We always did. That’s a lesson I’ve carried away from my experience on the show: There’s always a way, if we’re willing to try hard enough to find it. "
