Briana Scurry always inspired, but to live her dreams, she needed a helping hand

We can imagine the dream life of Briana Scurry.

There's the moment when she made the most famous save in the history of United States' women's soccer — an emphatic stop in penalty kicks against China during the 1999 World Cup final. There are gold medal wins at the Summer Olympics in 1996 and 2004. And there are 173 international matches for the U.S. women's national team as a member of one of the greatest dynasties in athletics.

But that is not the dream life of Briana Scurry.

Her dream life wasn't hers to envision, because even the greatest goaltenders in the world can use a hand from time to time.

After Scurry's dazzling success during her sports career was over at 38 years old, she was left in what she called "the pit of hell" while dealing with the effects of concussions. And that's when Chryssa Zizos, now her wife, helped Scurry dream again.

"I am the luckiest girl I know," Scurry said. "I am in a situation with my amazing wife, with my family, with where I live and how I live my life every day, way beyond what I thought I could have.

"There was no understanding or comprehension of the level of love and support and just understanding that I have with my wife. Without her, I don't have any of this, at all."

It has helped Scurry measure success differently.

"Can I be understanding? Can I be supportive? My job is household engineer when I'm home. Can I do this to the best of my ability?" she asks. "That's how I redirected what it means to win in the course of a day."

Her career remains defined by advocacy as she shares her story. Her fight, with generations of teammates, for equal pay for women's players from U.S. Soccer. Her groundbreaking identification as a gay Black woman in sports. And her call to shine a light on the damaging effects of traumatic brain injuries.

"I will talk about equality until we have it," Scurry said.

She thrives on trying to inspire and create, that's why she was on stage with other USWNT members talking with Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House Equal Pay Day Summit earlier this month. And why she has a new biography, "My Greatest Save," coming out in June.

Scurry realized the childhood dreams she had growing up in Dayton, near Anoka, weren't entirely hers when she got to the pinnacle of her sport and boycotted Olympic training camp in 1995 over pay.

"I had to put my dream of an 8-year-old girl being in the Olympics on the line in order to move the dial and raise the bar for women all over the world," she said.

Her dreams continue to rise.