My name is Emily Purry. I am a legally blind athlete living with Stargardt’s Macular Degeneration, and I currently compete on Team USA Para Surf. At the same time, I am training toward an even bigger goal, qualifying for the 2028 Paralympic Games in javelin.
Sport changed my life. It gave me independence, confidence, and a community that reminded me what is possible. Now I am chasing two dreams at once, competing internationally in surfing while building toward the Paralympic stage in track and field. None of this happens alone. In the water, I work closely with my surf guide Treavor “Tree.” Together we operate as a team. When we paddle out, communication, trust, and timing are everything. That partnership allows me to safely compete at the highest level of para surfing. We have started calling ourselves Team Octo, inspired by the octopus symbol that has appeared in several of our early supporters. The octopus represents adaptability, intelligence, and resilience. Three qualities you need when you are navigating the ocean without sight and pursuing elite sport.
While the dream is big, the reality is that competing in adaptive sports often comes with significant personal costs. Many para athletes fund much of their training and travel themselves. This fundraiser will help support travel to national and international para surfing competitions, coaching, training facilities, and equipment for javelin and track training, travel and lodging for competitions, adaptive equipment and support needed to compete safely as a visually impaired athlete, travel support for my guide, Tree, who is essential to competing in surfing, training camps and competition entry fees, and documenting the journey to inspire other blind and visually impaired women to pursue sport.
This journey is about more than medals. It is about representation. Right now there are very few blind women visible in sports like surfing or javelin. By sharing this path openly, my goal is to show other blind and visually impaired people, especially women, that athletics can be a place of belonging, strength, and freedom. Along the way we will be documenting the journey through social media and storytelling, with the goal of eventually producing a short documentary about what it takes to compete, train, and dream big as a blind athlete.
Your support helps keep this journey moving forward. Whether you donate, share this campaign, or simply follow along, you are helping make space for more blind and visually impaired athletes to step into sport and believe that they belong there. Thank you for being part of the team.
Sport changed my life. It gave me independence, confidence, and a community that reminded me what is possible. Now I am chasing two dreams at once, competing internationally in surfing while building toward the Paralympic stage in track and field. None of this happens alone. In the water, I work closely with my surf guide Treavor “Tree.” Together we operate as a team. When we paddle out, communication, trust, and timing are everything. That partnership allows me to safely compete at the highest level of para surfing. We have started calling ourselves Team Octo, inspired by the octopus symbol that has appeared in several of our early supporters. The octopus represents adaptability, intelligence, and resilience. Three qualities you need when you are navigating the ocean without sight and pursuing elite sport.
While the dream is big, the reality is that competing in adaptive sports often comes with significant personal costs. Many para athletes fund much of their training and travel themselves. This fundraiser will help support travel to national and international para surfing competitions, coaching, training facilities, and equipment for javelin and track training, travel and lodging for competitions, adaptive equipment and support needed to compete safely as a visually impaired athlete, travel support for my guide, Tree, who is essential to competing in surfing, training camps and competition entry fees, and documenting the journey to inspire other blind and visually impaired women to pursue sport.
This journey is about more than medals. It is about representation. Right now there are very few blind women visible in sports like surfing or javelin. By sharing this path openly, my goal is to show other blind and visually impaired people, especially women, that athletics can be a place of belonging, strength, and freedom. Along the way we will be documenting the journey through social media and storytelling, with the goal of eventually producing a short documentary about what it takes to compete, train, and dream big as a blind athlete.
Your support helps keep this journey moving forward. Whether you donate, share this campaign, or simply follow along, you are helping make space for more blind and visually impaired athletes to step into sport and believe that they belong there. Thank you for being part of the team.
Organizer
