USMC vet Annika Hutsler transforms into a pinup model after leg amputation: ‘Life doesn’t end after tragedy’
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(CNN) — Annika Hutsler went from a Marine who served five tours of duty in Iraq to a pinup — and into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The 36-year-old was hit by a car six years ago and later had surgery for her left leg.
“To have that leg amputated, that was terrifying,” she said. “In your mind, you know you don’t really have a leg, but when you wake up, that’s what’s there.”
But she’s not just a model, she’s also an advocate for amputees and is an Emmy-award-winning radio host on her syndicated show “You Made It Weird with Annika Hutsler.”
She’s also a mom, a wife, a girlfriend, a daughter, and an inspiring warrior for the disabled.
“I’m a very self-conscious person about my physical differences,” Hutsler said. “When I look in the mirror at this point in my life, sometimes it’s kind of like, ‘Boy, I’m really something.’ But I have a very strong core of who I am. I’ve been able to kind of build on what I am and become who I want to be.”
Hutsler, who grew up in Minnesota, said she has experienced more than she ever expected.
“My life has been crazy,” she said. “It’s been a blessing.”
After serving in
