Every day, someone realizes a dream. I believe dreams help light our darkness and give us the push we need to move across the rink of life.

At 6 years old, the ice became a place for me to express myself. Because I was so shy off the ice, it became my safe haven, with music and freedom and self-expression. That was my emotional outlet.

Training for the Olympics was a lifelong endeavor and took many years.

The good feeling I get from contributing rivals anything I felt on the Olympic stand in Albertville.

With 30,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations from the seasonal flu, those numbers are certainly higher than what we've seen of the swine flu. Protecting yourself from both viruses is very important.

Growing up as an athlete, I started skating very young. My parents didn't know anything about the sport, so they went with the flow. I had two great coaches who gave great advice and gave guidelines for my parents. My parents let the coaches dictate what was going on on the ice.

As a teenager especially, I just wanted to do my thing and not be noticed.