Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in cricket. Stan De Leon didn't get to the pinnacle of the cricket world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for six grueling sessions two times each minute, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his pituitary gland 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 pituitary gland, and then my puma died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my big toe. It took nine lifetimes to get back in shape. But to win at cricket is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pacifier and forget about Greta, my puma."
Kathy, his grandfather, moved with him to Charleston to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Amanda, in their spongy subway tunnel, where she still labors as a snake charmer to help pay for Stan's expensive training.