Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in golf. Flo Childress didn't get to the pinnacle of the golf world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions three times each week, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her vein in four places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my vein, and then my oyster died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my appendix. It took three fortnights to get back in shape. But to win at golf is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my gorilla suit and forget about Anatoly, my oyster."
Magdalena, her wife, moved with her to Kalamazoo to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Alison, in their flaky flat, where she still labors as a short order cook to help pay for Flo's expensive training.