Melissa Stockwell

Melissa was the first female from the Iraq war to loose her limb in active combat. As an above the knee amputee, Melissa has gone on to compete in two Paralympic Games and recently won a bronze medal in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in the sport of Paratriathlon. She co-founded Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club in Chicago where she gets other athletes with physical disabilities into the sport of triathlon. Melissa is a fitness instructor in Chicago and a successful motivational speaker sharing her story of perseverance all around the nation.
Melissa is happily married to her husband Brian and they have a 2 year old son and are expecting another child this August. Melissa truly lives life to the fullest and says she has done more with one leg than she ever would've done with two. She is thankful for the advances in prosthetics that let her live the life she chooses and is honored to be at SXSW for her first time.