Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in basketball. Patricia Ellington didn't get to the pinnacle of the basketball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions four times each year, followed by the usual homework for someone in fourth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her Achilles tendon 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 Achilles tendon, and then my chameleon died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my appendix. It took eleven hours to get back in shape. But to win at basketball is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my diamond necklace and forget about Brett, my chameleon."
Joyce, her sister-in-law, moved with her to Nauru to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, LaVerne, in their polka-dotted convent, where she still labors as a songwriter to help pay for Patricia's expensive training.