Adrianne Haslet was a professional ballroom dancer when she survived the terrorist attack at the 2013 Boston Marathon where she lost her left leg below the knee. She quickly rose to meet her daily challenges with fierce determination and Boston Strong strength. A full time professional ballroom dancer at the peak of her career, she had to learn an entirely new way to navigate her daily life. In the wake of the terror, she has become a global inspiration. Appearing in her own CNN documentary, the cover of both People and Sports Illustrated, featured on CBS, The View, and many other media outlets, Adrianne hopes her emotional honesty will serve as an example to others looking to overcome adversity in their own lives.
She has spoken alongside President Biden, President Bill Clinton, the President of Nepal, and her debut TED talk has over 16+ million views. She travels the globe giving Keynote talks to thousands, including the commencement address at Baylor College of Medicine, talks in Kenya, Ecuador, Nepal, Ireland, and a tour across Canada. She has been named one of Cosmo’s Most Powerful Women, and Bing's most Inspirational Women. She was honored by the Anti Defamation League at the Kennedy Center for her work speaking out against terrorism, anti-semitism, and hate.
Adrianne has a documentary detailing her first year as an amputee titled The Survivor Diaries which she did with Anderson Cooper. She speaks out against restrictions for people with disabilities to Medicare, spearheaded the campaign to turn over the ‘one leg a lifetime’ law in New York, as well as Medicare's proposal to decline prosthetic coverage.
She has since become a distance runner, and ran in multiple Boston Marathons, most recently in April, coming in 4th place in the division. Adrianne’s quote “I refuse to be called a victim. A victim is defined by something that happened in their life. I am a survivor, defined by how I live my life.” rings true for everyone struggling with something in their own lives.
