Josh Sundquist‘s life hasn’t been easy: he was diagnosed with cancer when he was just nine years old, and was told he had a 50% chance of surviving. After chemotherapy, he survived, but lost his left leg.
He was thirteen when doctors said he was cancer-free, and so of course, by sixteen, he was ski-racing. Now, Sundquist is a motivational speaker and a Paralympian who is known for his hilarious Halloween costumes.
“I’ve always dealt with the social discomfort of my disability by having a sense of humor,” Sundquist explains. “But now I’m more comfortable with who I am and what I look like, and I guess with these Halloween costumes you could even say that I celebrate what makes me different. Which may be either weird or refreshing, depending on your perspective.”
2012: “My wife Ashley suggested this idea, a reference to the movie ‘A Christmas Story’.”
2013: “I was just at the zoo one time and I noticed that flamingos look like me doing a crutch handstand. So yeah.”
2014: “A YouTube subscriber suggested it to me at VidCon. I thought it was appropriate since last year I was also named to the US Amputee World Cup Team.”
2015: “It’s a classic amputee joke. This year I decided to anthropomorphize it.”
“If my career as a motivational speaker doesn’t work out, I could probably get a job at IHOP.”
