Liza Hunter-Galvan, the runner determined to make the Olympics for her brain-injured daughter, won her case yesterday.
But she says she would give it all up if it meant her family did not have to endure all they had been through.
The marathon-running mother of four was finallynamed on the New Zealand team for Beijing after appealing to the Sports Tribunal.
Her motivation for the Olympics was to create new memories for 13-year-old Amber, who is still battling head injuries inflicted when a truck smashed into the family's car last year. Amber does not remember her mother running at the Athens Games.
The emotional toil of the appeal has been tough, but nothing compared to the accident and its aftermath, Texas-based Hunter-Galvan said yesterday.
"What I went through with the accident is 10 times more heart-wrenching. I would gladly give up 10 Olympics to erase that. This was bad too, but nothing compared to that."
The 39-year-old took her case to the tribunal after Athletics NZ selectors left her out of the team, citing poor performances at previous championships.
Hunter-Galvan, who ran a qualifying time last year, argued that she was in the form of her life and that she had not been treated fairly.
The tribunal ruled that selectors had not followed the right criteria.
She got a call yesterday from Athletics NZ high-performance director Kevin Ankrom telling her she was in.
