“We did everything we could to save my legs, and it just came to a point where if we didn't amputate my legs, I wouldn't survive. In that situation, you kind of go into survival mode, and you find strength.”

“When I turned 16 and got my license, the Chevy Blazer was passed down from my sister, so it was very much a starter car.”

“I don't want to see myself as this sad, disabled girl. I know that. I don't want other people to see me as that, either.”

“I've learned that borders are where the actual ends, but also where the imagination and the story begins.”

“You don't have to be positive all the time.”

“I feel that losing both my legs was a blessing. It was meant to happen to me: I wouldn't have had the opportunity to touch so many lives in such a positive way.”

“I've never wanted sympathy votes in anything I do in my life.”

“I got this second chance at life, and I live it.”

“We did everything we could to save my legs, and it just came to a point where if we didn't amputate my legs, I wouldn't survive. In that situation, you kind of go into survival mode, and you find strength.”

“Pfizer's actually teamed up with my nonprofit organization, which is called Adaptive Action Sports. I cofounded this organization in 2005 to help people with physical disabilities get involved in action sports, go snowboarding, skateboarding.”

“I love the smell of rain, and I love the sound of the ocean waves.”