If Double-Amputee Marine from This Touching Viral Photo Doesn't Inspire You, Nothing Will

The double-amputee Marine seen in the viral photo of his wife carrying him wants the image to remind people that they can overcome "any kind of adversity, big or small."

Jesse Cottle and his wife, Kelly, appeared on "Fox & Friends" on Thursday to discuss the inspiring photo that spread across the Internet like wildfire. The former Marine also opened up about the injury that cost him both of his legs.

(Sarah Ledford / ShutterHappy Photography)

"In 2009, I was struck by an antipersonnel IED while on foot patrol with an infantry squad that my EOD squad was attached to," Cottle explained.

Cottle returned to the U.S. for rehabilitation following the traumatic injury. It was while he was recovering in California that he met his future wife at a swim meet.

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“The more I got to know him, the more things that would surprise me about him,” Kelly said.

Fox News has more on how the viral photo was captured:

Kelly Cottle said the two visited Idaho to get pictures with her family and the photographer asked to take a few photos of the group standing in a stream.

Jesse Cottle took off both of his prosthetic legs for the shots, and the photographer, Sarah Ledford, decided to take a few impromptu photos of Kelly carrying Jesse on her back as they returned to the shore.

The photos were posted on Ledford’s Facebook page on Aug. 17 and quickly went viral.

When the photo "started blowing up," it "boggled" the couple's minds, Cottle said.

"It was hard to believe because they seemed kind of inspired about it, which was strange because it’s so normal to us. But we kind of realized how great that is, that if we can inspire someone that’s so cool," Kelly added.

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