Diana Golden

While many admired Golden for overcoming obstacles, she insisted on being an athlete, period. In an interview shortly before her death, Golden described herself as a Type A personality and said, "It wasn't about wanting to overcome cancer; it was about wanting to kick butt."

She frequently scoffed at suggestions about her courage. "Sometimes, stereotypes make me laugh," she said. "Often, I've heard it on television, 'We're talking with a girl today who had cancer when she was 12, beat the odds and now she skis.' I say: 'Now wait a minute. I don't just ski. I'm the best in the world and I train my heart and soul out for this and I ski 150 days and I work out in the weight room, and to me courageous doesn't imply any of that.'"

"Athletes don't want to be courageous. They want to be good."

Among her biggest fans was filmmaker Warren Miller. Golden skied for three minutes in Miller's film, "Escape to Ski." Said Miller: "After you're with her for a few minutes, you totally forget her handicap. She has her act together, and it's not an act."