You know Shaun White as The Flying Tomato, but did you know that he almost didn’t survive childhood? As an baby, Shaun had to have not one, but two heart surgeries. The family who pulled him through that was onhand to watch him win Olympic gold, and their presence moved him to tears. In an interview this morning, he said that he realized what the whole Olympic experience is about now— and that for him it’s all about family. What a truly great moment for the Olympics.

You can see interviews with Shaun White on NBC’s Olympic site.