HOMETOWN HERO: Dancer who almost lost leg inspiring others to keep moving
This week's 'Hometown Hero' is using the power of dance to inspire others.
Despite losing her eyesight at a young age and almost losing one of her legs in a terrifying accident, the West Palm Beach native continues to move and she's encouraging others to do the same.
CBS12 news anchor Sam Kerrigan recently caught up with Amy Jordan who was thrilled to be back in her hometown and hosting a contemporary dance class at in honor of National Dance Day.
The life-long dancer splits her time between the Sunshine State and New York where she created — a company dedicated to making the impossible possible through the power of movement.
"Movement to me, as a dancer, is a metaphor, and now at 55 I have the benefit of being able to look back and see how that's permeated everything about my life," Amy says.
The award-winning author, keynote speaker, fitness expert, and choreographer has overcome extraordinary challenges in her life— diagnosed with type one diabetes when she was a little girl, she admits the fear and the shame of the condition led her to an eating disorder. The two combined left her legally blind by the time she was 20.
But she never gave up on her passion for dance.
"My goal at that time, without the access of the internet, was to create programs for other kids like me, who were artists and had dreams and goals, so that they would have to experience this idea of creating victory, transforming trauma into triumph," Amy explains.
"We used theater and the arts to support and bring young people with diabetes together in a way that was positive, where their friends and family could rally around them."
Amy's journey took another scary turn in 2009 when she was hit by a New York City bus and nearly lost her leg.
"I was crossing the street. I had the light, and I found myself flat on the pavement. I didn't know what was happening," she says. My first thought, having no feeling in my leg, was that it had been amputated off my body at impact and that I was never going to dance again."
Amy says she vowed in that moment, if she survived, she would have a victory dance.
She did survive. And after more than 20 surgeries on her leg, she defied the odds and returned to the stage.
She founded The Victory Dance Project to inspire and motivate others facing chronic illness, trauma and other personal challenges to keep moving.
Looking back now, she says she's proud of how far she's come since that childhood diabetes diagnosis and how much she's accomplished, even though she was told many times the odds were not in her favor.
"One of the things I really took away from my recovery from the accident was, 'What am I doing this hour?' It became literally getting through an hour," Amy says. "So, I think if you're struggling, give yourself a lot of credit for the little wins."
The Victory Dance Project just celebrated its 10th anniversary with a performance at the Kravis Center.
Learn more about Amy's remarkable story and The Victory Dance Project .
Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. to get the day's top headlines delivered right to your inbox. for the biggest stories and can't miss video.
