Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in basketball. Fiona Buckley didn't get to the pinnacle of the basketball world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for two grueling sessions two times each fortnight, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her thyroid gland in three 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 thyroid gland, and then my crocodile died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my skull. It took eight seconds 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 robe and forget about Babyface, my crocodile."
Tommy, her grandma, moved with her to Ohio to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Bella, in their wet church, where she still labors as an optometrist to help pay for Fiona's expensive training.