Here you have Pikus-Pace, a picture of faith and hope, an inspiration, an athlete who is tentatively scheduled for "Good Morning America," shoots at ESPN and sled sponsor, Verizon, next Monday, when she is expected to be invited to Wall Street and sound the bell or strike the gavel for the New York Stock Exchange — and nobody's paying for her accident.

That's right, the hospital and surgeon in Canada are calling her husband, a 25-year-old Utah Valley State College student, and threatening him with a bill collection agency for his wife's medical bills.

And then the sled. A new sled costs about $5,000. Her father, brother and uncle have stepped forward and taken Christmas shopping money out of their own pockets to try and get Pikus-Pace a new sled by this weekend so she can continue her heroic battle to make the U.S. Olympic team and register top performances in the 2006 World Cup.

What is wrong with this picture?

Just about everything.

Where are the International Bobsled Federation people who ran that tragedy in Calgary? Where is the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, the U.S. Olympic Committee? Where are the insurance companies?

Pikus-Pace has already had seven calls from lawyers who want to take her case of negligence for the accident, promising as much as $3 million in a lawsuit.

Lee Pikus, a humble, quiet man, has counseled his daughter to avoid the American Way — suing people. He's advised his daughter to be patient and give people a chance to own up to their responsibilities for the accident. "And if they don't, we'll have to see what we can do," he said.

The wheels may turn, however slow. Today, Pikus-Pace could be stuck with everything, including a medical bill that is $20,000 to date — unless people in the sport and their insurance companies come through.

But for now, the Pikus-Pace camp is putting their prayers into Noelle's run. They're grateful she is alive and can walk, let alone compete. The family's focusing right now on getting Pikus-Pace a new sled.

Lee Pikus tried to fix the sled. He took it to his shop in American Fork and bent the runners to within one-hundredth of an inch of parallel with the other runner. But when Pikus-Pace got on the sled with her weight, it bent out of alignment.

Again, where in the heck are the Americans that run this sport? Shouldn't Pikus-Pace have a new sled? And shouldn't somebody at the top pay for it?

When Pikus-Pace got mowed over that day in Calgary, it was no fault of her own. She did nothing to cause that accident. Now, in a moving attempt at a comeback, she's got this smashed-up piece of equipment, running down what is considered the most dangerous track in the world next to the one in Torino, a layout so tight, athletes have already been injured, maimed and killed.