She had just scored a perfect ten on her floor exercise routine, but Kristin Bartzokis stood stoically before the screaming crowd. For Kristin, this moment of perfection was something she always knew she could achieve. and she’d adopted a determination to stay strong and unemotional, no matter what. Kristin learned at an early age the importance of strength–strength when confronted with multiple surgeries, strength when confronted with stares and questions, and strength when confronted with the constant knowledge that you will never look, or be, like everyone else. No matter what life has thrown at Kristin, she has turned challenges into triumphs and used obstacles as stepping stones. Kristin reminds us that although life can be complicated and messy, it is always, above all, beautiful.