Faces

Friendship outweighs gold for tae kwon do expert Esther Kim, who sacrificed her chance to make the U.S. Olympic team for the sake of an injured friend. Kay Poe, 18, was ranked No. 1 in the United States and considered a shoo-in for the Sydney, Australia, summer Olympic games until she suffered a knee injury in the closing seconds of the qualifying tournament's semifinals. Ms. Kim won the other semifinal and was scheduled to face the injured Ms. Poe in the tournament final. Instead, she forfeited the match so that her best friend of 13 years could still go for the gold. "I just started crying, because this was her chance as much as it was mine," said Ms. Poe. After adopting two disabled children, Oregon mother of three Sandy Roberts founded the Tree of Life Adoption Center, which placed approximately 50 "special needs" children in adoptive homes last year. She is currently coordinating a plane trip for six children from Russia and Kazakhstan who need surgery in the United States. "When we look at these kids, we don't see their limitations; we see their abilities," she said.