The Woman Who Holds 13 World Records for Running... And with a Prosthetic Leg and "I Was Fired Twice and Decided I Was Unemployable for Life"

The BBC's stories is strong and the American people search the American Street podcast the iHeartRadio wherever you get your podcast will be hearing from Amy Palmeiro Winters was the founder of the one stepping foundation.

Amy holds 13 world records from running. She also happens to have one prosthetic leg use Amy with her story. I was one of three children.

I had two older brothers. We had one brother in between myself and my middle brother. He had a heart defect when he was born and sought age of six months old. He passed away. So my mother was not expecting to have anymore children. They had just lost their son and come to find out she was pregnant.

I ended up showing up three months early. I weighed 2 pounds and I remember my dad telling me that from day one that I was a fighter and I was just kicking the incubator to get out and I think that that really sets the format for who I am and basically my lifelong quest of achieving the unthinkable. You know we had a good childhood. They had a hard childhood. We didn't have you know the best of circumstances.

I grew up watching my father abused and beat up my mother assist children. You can either become that or you can choose to be something different and for myself. I always chose to go the different path and be the different person.

And when we were growing up we didn't really have anything. We didn't have financial aspects. So for me, running was something that was free. It didn't matter where you were if you had money or you didn't have money. Anybody could run sports got me to everything. My sports got me through the times when I watch my dad beat my mom up and I remember using sports as a tool. If I had a bad day. I went out for a run if I didn't feel good about myself.

I went out for a run in running in sports just changed everything for me. I was probably 18 and a friend of mine said that you can't run a marathon and I said I can run a marathon and is lightweight how how long is a marathon and he said 26.2 miles and I said no problem. I said so when we do, and that he's next weekend.

So then, that was basically to start of my kind of like a long distance journey. We went out.

I ran my first marathon in 323 R3 24 something the first world record that we actually broke.

It was nothing that I was setting out to do, and I only see we unite can't help it. Just because nothing good in life is ever done by yourself running with anybody, but I have a whole team who's behind me and we set the record for the first time marathon runner for that course and it qualified me for the Boston Marathon. So we ended up going off.

We ran the Cleveland marathon. The Boston Marathon which qualified me again then for the following years Boston Marathon and then for going back to the marathon is when I was hit in growing up we had everybody's junk we had dirt bikes minibikes go carts. We always had everybody's junk and what we would do is we would rebuild it, and so growing up for me, riding motorcycles and riding dirt bikes was natural. It was just second nature. So when I moved on and I started working getting a motorcycle was just kind of logical progression.

All path in my life and in 1994 I was out riding with the group of friends. We were heading down the road and as we came to the top of the hill and we crested the hill. It was a blind intersection.

The whole thought process behind coming to that intersection is so detailed to me because that was the row that I learned how to drive on so my father when I was learning how to drive would take me down the road he would bring me to that intersection he would make me stop my car. He would make me roll down my windows and he would make me listen for any cars coming up over the hill. So, on that day in 1994 I was essentially that person coming up over the hill and I remember being thankful that my motorcycle was exceptionally loud that if someone was sitting at that intersection. They were going to hear me, even if they didn't see me, and there was a blue car sitting at the top of the hill. The intersection and it's funny how people will say time time comes to a slower time slows down time. Actually it comes to a halt and almost comes to a standstill and then it just moves at a snails pace because when I crested the top of the hill. I remember looking at the car.

I remember looking at the person in the driver seat.

I remember seeing that her window is down and in the time that I crested the hill and started to come to the intersection. I had actually made eye contact with her three separate times. You know, I knew that she had seen me and I knew that it was okay to continue on. I actually had the right away and she was at a stop sign and so as I crested the hill and went through the intersection. She darted across the street when she darted across the street. Her car slammed into the side of my motorcycle and the car actually smashed my entire left foot in between the motorcycle and the primary home your winters here with us are stored.

He was born into a family situation with his father and brother passed away before she was born. But as her dad said came into this world with 2 pounds warrior from the beginning, kicking, running, became horrific running was where she was in them reaction to change her life or maybe not. When we come back more. This remarkable story of overcoming your own American stored we could be here, the host about American stories every day on the show were bringing inspiring stories from across the street from yours or big cities and small tombs, but we truly can't do the show without our stories are free to listen to, but they're not Friedman if you love to L American stories.com and click the donate button a little more to L American stories.com I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent make sure my business days piping hot and I think cool and confident the their small business owners to help you best. State Farm is in your corner and on like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

Call your local State Farm agent for quote today.

Geico asks how would you love a chance to save some money on insurance. Of course you would.

And when it comes to great rates on insurance. GEICO can help like with insurance for your car, truck, motorcycle, boat and RV even help with homeowners or renters coverage plus at an easy to use mobile app available 24 hour roadside assistance and more. And GEICO is an easy choice switch today and see all the ways you can save it's easy. Simply go to Geico.com or contact your local agent today. What a great way to recognize your employees check out custom make your thought about doing something special for your customers custom ink can do that to win your team love some custom beer. Custom ink is ready custom enclosure go to customize your partner with great customer service, quality products at all in pricing along with personalized help when you need it in an easy-to-use website. When you don't, plus everything is 100% satisfaction guaranteed.

Check out what we can do for your business at custom Inc.com then we returned to L American stories into a Republican or winters. Hearing her story was left off running career just been put been hit by a car while riding her motorcycle both return.

I remember just kind of coming to a stop.

I remember picking up my leg just standing there with the motorcycle and the intersection, and a friend of mine came up. Then he had jumped off his motorcycle and literally lifted me off my motorcycle and lately in the grass and I just laid there and I remember just more so being worried about the fact that I just started a new job. I could miss work the next morning and also kind of worried about not crying in front of anybody else and I just got a brand-new pair of boots and I really didn't want anything happening to my booth at that time in the ambulance came and they took me to the hospital to the local area was. I was an athlete I was you know I was that a trick hero… Somebody that everybody knew or somebody that everybody's family knew, and I remember just go into the hospital in and waiting, waiting, more so to understand what was going on and I didn't realize at the time, but because of the damage to my foot what had happened was my body just immediately went into shock. The doctor would come in and shake his head. This last in the document come in and out and I remember them trying to give me different pain medications but it just seemed like nothing was working and I remember the doctor coming in the one time and he asked my mother. He's like you know how is her pain tolerance and my mother literally grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt and said basically you know what's going on with my daughter and he said were actually waiting for another hospital to take her because right now the only thing that we can do is amputate your leg is over my mother and my father that was out of the question and as they waited. It got to the point where they had to perform the surgery because my leg was crushed so bad that it was losing all kinds of circulation in the longer you go without blood flow to your land, the more damage it does.

And the doctor came in with the papers and he handed them to my mother to sign the papers amputate my leg and just as she went to sign on the papers.

One of the nurses came running in and said that a helicopter was coming from Pittsburgh and at that moment I was basically rush to the top of the building and that's where I ended up being flown to Pittsburgh where I spent the next two months basically fighting to save my leg. I was very fortunate that I was given the opportunity to fight for keeping my leg and after it was like after three years and I have 40+ surgeries and I went in and the one Dr. you know he is looking at the different skin grafts and scars on my body and any said to me like I'm really sorry that you had to go through all this. I'm really sorry it wasn't taken off that day and he had let me know that they had put something in place so that will never happen again and I told him I said if I could go back and do it all over again I wouldn't change anything because of everything I went through and because of what happened, helped create who I am today. I'm glad that it was able to help people in the future not have to go through unnecessary seizures to get to the same finish line.

But for me it allowed me to close one door and open another door when I lost my life that day. I was focused on the military. I was focused on being a police officer, I was focused on those things when you experience something like that. It not only takes your leg, but it takes a lot of your holes in your dreams so for myself, I had to rediscover who I was because you couldn't go to the military with a prosthetic leg and you couldn't be a police officer with a prosthetic leg. It was yeah redefining myself and then on top of that it was your never going to be a professional athlete prior to going and have my amputation. I talked to my boss. I said it at the point where I have to have my leg amputated. I can't keep it anymore. It's so damaged that they're going to take it off so I really had no other choice, but I had asked my boss anyways.

I said well I have a job when I come back and he said absolutely and so I waited. My leg amputated. I promised myself that I would be back to work by my birthday, which was August 18 and my leg was cut off July 27 I had an appointment to go pick up my leg and when I went to pick up my leg. They called me and they said that will your insurance said that your leg is not medically necessary. So they're knocking to pay for no the place that I was going.

Luckily, the prosthetic was so cheap and they told me you could pay for with the credit card so I actually kept my appointment drove the two hours to Pittsburgh and paid for my prosthetic leg with a credit card. I remember getting up. I remember walking.

I was given no formal training with my prosthetic. It was basically just hears your leg and basically to see later, but my focus was August 18 being back to work by August 18 and I remember walking into my job and I was proud of myself.

I was a really hard worker. I was proud of the job that I did. I was a furnace operator at a local company that was prominent in our hometown, and I remember walking in and every time I would walk in my employer would walk out the other side and I couldn't come couldn't understand what was going on and then as you progress in wearing a prosthetic you go from temp to permanent, and during that time I got to the point where it was time for me to be fit with my permanent prosthetic and so there was a local prosthetic facility that was nearby that was going to be the ones to create my new prosthetic leg and I remember going in and getting things set up to get my new prosthetic leg and I remember going back to my job and speaking to my boss.

Finally, and I sublime I'm ready to come back to work and he said well I'm sorry you don't have a job anymore. And in doing so. What had happened was is it had timed me out for my insurance so I had lost my job, lost my insurance and had no way of paying for my new prosthetic leg again. So here I was, you know, kind of right back into the same same situation you know the basically the road of hard knocks, kind either sent you one way or the other and it definitely made me a stronger person so after I got my second prosthetic. I was under the belief that I would be able to run and that's what I did was I tried to. Unfortunately, if you don't have the right in the right components you residual limb unfortunately takes the brunt of everything and so for myself because I didn't have the clearance or basically like a higher category prosthetic that would absorb the shock. All the shock and the pounding went up into my residual limb and so when I tried to run I ended up getting a bone infection and because of that bone infection back in the hospital and I lost more of my leg. But just like I said, you can take it two different ways you can let it define you and you or you can let it make you stronger and tougher myself.

I utilized it to make them stronger and once I had more of my leg amputated.

It allowed me to get a better prosthetic foot and with that better prosthetic foot. It allowed me to then start running again. You listen to Amy Palmeiro Winters sure her story. What happened if that ambulance pulled years after fighting as you said for her would years and 40 surgeries. Sorry it wasn't taken that day, doctors in the future. So the protocols that would never happen again.

But true to her character and said she would've done it the same way, strengthen her character, and also helped others not have to go through what you went through program losing her job, but still there was that whole though it was that attitude still there was the little girl inside her picking that incubator held onto when we come back or this remarkable story of overcoming Amy Palmeiro Winters on our American store. I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent make sure my business days piping hot and I say cool and confident the their small business owners to help you best. State Farm is in your corner and on like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Call your local State Farm agent for quote today. We returned to our American stories into every Palmeiro Winters when we last left off. Just got a new prosthetic. What about you able to start her running career over them.

But little did she know how far the career would actually take her to return to Amy and her story. It was a couple years after I lost my leg before I could start running again so time training stuff was more so just going out for a run at lunch time and I would just run the local 510, case it was kind of a natural progression. The kind of want to get back to running the marathon and so my first one was the Cleveland marathon just because it was local and it was during that marathon that we actually broke the world record for both male and female in 50s I ended up going on to run and race in the New York City triathlon and from doing the New York City triathlon. It actually qualifies me for the Hawaii world championships in the triathlon and when I was there one the world championships.

I remember when he would look at me and and they would say to me that like you really get a run on that because I had just like a walking foot and I asked one of the other athletes. I was like there's gotta be somebody that I can find to help me and I asked, like where you go who you know who's the best and so that's when I was introduced to a step ahead, I can say about a step ahead is I put my kids in the car and we drove eight hours to New York to Long Island New York and I'll tell you what I haven't looked back since.

I walked to the door and for the first time in 10 years. I actually had someone ask me what I wanted to do.

I actually had someone ask me what my goals were and he said 100 miles in he goes.

So then that's what you and I was casted at 730 in the morning and by 9 o'clock I was running on the treadmill and running like so I was out running a race with a friend of mine and he actually told me of another athlete's name was Jim and Jim was the first athlete with a prosthetic to ever run on the course of Western states and Western states is basically it's one of the oldest and the most basically the most sought after ultramarathon and Jim wanted to be the first athlete with a prosthetic qualify finish Western states and so he got on the Western states course and he made it to my old, I think 35 missed the time cut off or something and dropped out in he told his family said that was the hardest thing that I've ever done and he's like, I will be back and I'll finish it. That was in June and then in August he was on a close course and a cement truck got on the close course and the boom truck on the cement truck came out and hit him and killed him. And when my friend told me that story, I vowed that I would go back and do that and I would do it for him and his family and so in my pursuit to become the first athlete with a prosthetic finish Western states I had to run a specific race in a qualifying time and actually qualify for so in doing so I qualified for Western states and that's when I was also focusing on qualifying for racing bad water and for bad water. I needed to do an additional hundred mile race until I was actually in this hundred mile race. It was a looped course was a mile loop and you just ran the mile loop over and over again until you reached 100 miles and as I was running it. The race director had said to me Amy. He's like if you run 18 more miles you qualify for the US team so I finished the hundred mile race. I qualified for bad water and then I want to say a month later I went to the race that was across the years and that's where I was setting my sights on making the US team and we ended up finishing the race with 130.4 miles. We meet the first guy by 14 miles we beat the first girl by 36 miles. I think it was and it was in fact the first time that an anti-had won a race right and it was the first time in history that an athlete with a prosthetic had made a world team because that race actually qualified me for the US team. You know I have a lot of races that I've done there all is equally amazing and unique in their own way and so we just recently ran the cocoa Dona 250 mile race and is probably one of the most meaningful and most amazing races that I've ever been a part of. And it's because I carry the American flag the entire way. It had nothing to do with me. It had to do with honoring all of those men and women who stand up every day to keep us true despite fear despite pain despite sleep deprivation. Despite all of those things that most people crumble because of they stand up every day and they keep us safe and so for me I think that has to by far be the most amazing race that I ever been a part of because it was for something greater than me because without them we wouldn't be able to do the things that we do and being out there for six days carrying the American flag was was by far the most amazing opportunity that I've ever had. And from that day on I ran with the American flag everywhere ago when I moved to New York City I had met so many little children who had lost their lands or were born missing their lands different various reasons. I met all these little kids who steer clear of sports because of their limb loss and it was my goal to get them involved in those sports to help them build self-confidence and understand who they really and what they could be. And so for me the foundation ended up being a platform to provide children with adventures to help them establish and create self-confidence. I meet a lot of patients who have been told all these different stories like you're never going to run again your never to be able to walk without a limp. It's untrue.

As long as you don't give up your gonna be okay. You don't have to accept on getting up on your goals and your dreams.

When faced with adversity, you have two choices. You can either move on and be stronger and better in spite of or you can give up and it's funny because somebody was saying will you know what I do is nothing compared to what you do could you just ran 250 miles but I'm no different than anybody else. All you can ever do is is give your best effort knowing that when you cross that finish line. For that you wake up tomorrow. You know that you're happy with what you did. You always want to cross that finish line, no matter what it is in life knowing that you gave it your best effort. I hope people see my story and understand that you have bad things happen but you don't have to let them define who you are.

I'm a big believer in things happen for a reason and I feel that my accident happened for a reason, because I wouldn't be where I am today without it in a terrific job of storage on your production by medicine director and special thanks to the Maple mural winters for sharing her story what the story was deliberate use of the face of version you have two choices. Or, by the way, you can learn more about Amy and her life@searun.com Maple mural winters rate overcoming stories you tell American I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent and make sure my business days piping hot and I people and confident their small business owners to help you best.

State Farm is in your corner and on like a good neighbor. There call your local State Farm agent for quote today and we continue with our American stories in the story of an American question loss is the largest real estate developer in America, the owner of the Miami Dolphins and assured his life story with her own exporters Stephen Ross is a Detroit or were born and bred until his parents tried to adjust his world midway through his freshman year of high school, Miami Beach, Florida. Dilbert birds a couple little trouble supposed story log gear but a little bit of everything, but started in the Lord. Try to be strict father legible supposes he was working in lecture.

I wondered about her work, but purchaser will leave your order go to school here for about four days. About 30 schools for Barbara Rhodes broke different to boast shoulder or your wife really got him a coach, started arch trust scored well enough to review and reflect about two thirds the first glass left right person to nurture your lecture so you wake up call, but also knew before. Warm supper we did. I want to working with very very good so I knew what was euro and zero cents where there were difficult started to feel the world to Florida transformation. The law school will invest drugstore Richards children's program brochures for counsel.

George barks like like the subject delivered will the confidence you have to first find your coffee good. You can search something will fill six or six breeds success. Teachers told my parents or were subtypes of your couch right now so I suppose it would start like a probably for the least likely to succeed. Tell me how much teachers bill would bourbon which were brought up your your periods as much by parents episodes, better records referred where you're really suffered what after getting his masters degree at NYU. Stephen went back to his hometown to look at an accounting or tax return was very well practiced law for the scope of Paul's arm in my office where Billy was remember to protrude. Students should separate by go to 68. But before Bobby could be was assessed watching right exposure. One of the larger you never know when it's over both of your dog partner walks in the office of vestry forward will will separate our New York thought about want go to New York for good. Never ever would from but buying through your throat really thought about Paul's door so you will truly see your partner what New York you grade your partner in your book.

I was ready for something sparked without me you were in control of control really don't know fixup spark bothers with urologic storage anywhere. Blah blah blah. Off I worked well with your firm called several appointments for me to help sort for Goldman Sachs interview that I saw a paper little article later firm started drivers respect for DuPont's very Waspy Belgian firm doing a lot of creative things of the firm was like separate for 31 of every person.

Sure your troubles are few house roofs and job sitting room through border watercolors, Lord, neural development, guard, and later everybody told Sarge selected a revocable and I was there for about a year and 1/2.

Everybody of those three things a little different quite understand what I was doing and suggested maybe I would good their two weeks after left nothing to do with my left pool from colorful part from our government dropped whose working at Bear Stearns got me an interview deals. The one guy was working for so I put steel was a layered cover, a company that they were taken public was my idea to put several things he was doing the one property to the public.

Bear Stearns book 2 or three weeks that's made at the pool drug called principate looked at Bear Stearns to steal other firms for smaller firms, Bear Stearns person met with partner persons great relocated California partnership will be in California next week.

Important to show up calls me a court of yours out there. There appointment for Joel called good guys range of time called towards that happen difficult to go culvers. I would take a public dropped his other firms.

I would work. I've been here long enough you know about two months. I can't tell you what to do will be that way for the public, front page of the Wall Street Journal on the right column shows lead article global blog 6 to 19 of the opening part all sidewalks from our office for whatever happened to the company blog euro verbal systems school drug is waiting for your focal after that. You're always putting me down all the front room. I was doing a deal proved to be overvalued brought it worked on someone else work on referrals which the principal together as you this morning got a phone call support.

The clip was at Fort stories better say that I write but I knew that. That night I knew I could work toward work before I have the meeting to get this deal proved that I was ready to quit new heroes left two jobs six months.

Todd so like a resume so that started with the company money want to stay in New York about $11,000 to live on bootstrap company and never had an investor so for both of the 30 years. I erred company interest property with story that's true. I really believe doing something successful should believe what else do you trust more than yourself and a great job by Robbie producing the piece. Thanks to Alex for finding the story with a beauty story of Steve Ross, the owner of the Miami Dolphins owner