Carrie Johnson – Kayaking, USA

Carrie Johnson competed in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and was the proud recipient of the Kayaking World Cup in 2007. She was originally slated to appear in the 2004 Olympics, but her training was brought to a halt by unexplained stomach pain…

The mystery pain was eventually diagnosed as Crohn’s disease. Rather than giving up, Johnson learned to manage the disease in order to continue to compete in the Olympics. She’s now in pursuit of a career in veterinary medicine and has proven that her illness won’t stand in the way of her goals.