Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in skiing. Morgan Pattel didn't get to the pinnacle of the skiing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions three times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, he broke his back in three 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 back, and then my kangaroo died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my neck. It took thirteen blinks of an eye to get back in shape. But to win at skiing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of nylons and forget about Terence, my kangaroo."
Ryan, his grandmother, moved with him to Lebanon to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Cindy, in their brittle flat, where she still labors as a piano tuner to help pay for Morgan's expensive training.