Josh Sundquist may be a successful Paralympian, bestselling author, motivational speaker, cancer survivor, and YouTube personality, but he also excels at something else: really great Halloween costumes. For the past few years, Sundquist has dressed in “amputee-themed” costumes that humorously highlight his one leg. One year, he celebrated Halloween as the Gingerbread Man with a missing leg from Shrek. Another year, he was the classic leg lamp from the movie A Christmas Story. Last year, he did a crutch handstand and became a flamingo. This year, he turned himself into a foosball player–a fitting costume choice, since it represents a major milestone Sundquist reached this year in making the US Amputee World Cup Team.
Sundquist’s journey began when he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer at the age of 9. With only a fifty percent chance to live, he spent a year in chemotherapy and had his left leg amputated. At age 13, Sundquist successfully beat his cancer, and went on to accomplish many great things, starting with the ski racing that would eventually lead to his spot on the US Paralympic Ski Team during his first season at the games.
“I’ve always dealt with the social discomfort of my disability by having a sense of humor, but I used to be much more self-conscious,” Sundquist writes on his blog. “In high school I wore a prosthesis all the time and didn’t want anyone to find out I was missing a leg. 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.”
