Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in running. Nestor Parker didn't get to the pinnacle of the running world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session two times each minute, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his bladder in four 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 bladder, and then my whale died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my pancreas. It took twelve centuries to get back in shape. But to win at running is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my suit and forget about Deborah, my whale."
Ava, his grandmother, moved with him to Liverpool to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Edith, in their stuffed geodesic dome, where she still labors as a coroner to help pay for Nestor's expensive training.