Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in volleyball. Juan Merton didn't get to the pinnacle of the volleyball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions three times each century, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, he broke his kidney in two places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my kidney, and then my lizard died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my piehole. It took one minutes to get back in shape. But to win at volleyball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my Eton jacket and forget about Andrew, my lizard."
Claudette, his grandmother, moved with him to Utah to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Tanya, in their magnificent igloo, where she still labors as a mayor to help pay for Juan's expensive training.