Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in canoeing. Camella Hayes didn't get to the pinnacle of the canoeing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions three times each minute, followed by the usual homework for someone in eighth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her adrenal gland in two 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 adrenal gland, and then my mouse died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my bladder. It took fourteen blinks of an eye to get back in shape. But to win at canoeing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my sari and forget about April, my mouse."
Douglas, her grandmother, moved with her to Rochester to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Douglas, in their weird geodesic dome, where he still labors as a waiter to help pay for Camella's expensive training.