While Columbine High School shooting survivor Anne Marie Hochhalter’s life was shaped by tragedy, the tenacious woman worked hard to ensure it was not defined by it.

The parents of a Columbine shooting victim who was killed shared their story of how survivor Anne Marie Hochhalter -- who died this week -- helped them and became very close with their family.

Anne Marie Hochhalter, who spoke publicly about the long-lasting effects of gun violence after she was paralyzed in the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, was found dead on Sunday at her home in Westminster, Colo. She was 43.