Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in canoeing. Pam Sanchez didn't get to the pinnacle of the canoeing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for seven grueling sessions four times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in fourth grade.
Two years ago, she broke her spinal cord 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 spinal cord, and then my magpie died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my liver. It took twelve centuries 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 Hawaiian shirt and forget about Joyce, my magpie."
Riley, her sister, moved with her to Kentucky to be with her coach, leaving behind her mother, Cecelia, in their prickly brownstone, where she still labors as a counselor to help pay for Pam's expensive training.