Our oldest son was a colicky baby, screaming 4 hours straight every night. Even homeschooling him was tough--nothing came easily, as he had ADHD so bad. An advisor of ours suggested I give him breaks every 15 minutes to go be active outside to help him focus. So I told him to ski around the house after every 15 minute of study for years. Then he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and then another. He lost all the hair on his body down to his eyelashes, and he started a strict, special diet to help his body function. But he kept skiing, and he kept active. It became the thing he and his dad did together. He got stronger and faster. He started special year round workout regimens--doing 2 a day workouts in the summer on his own. Then he was bitten by a tick while camping with his dad, and was diagnosed with Lyme's. It was caught early, but messed with a whole season. Each summer he worked a job to pay for his equipment, and for travel to the out of state races in the national qualifier league. Last summer he scooped ice cream he couldn't even eat all summer to pay for his skiing. He'd bring home 2 scoops from every shift, and made challenges for the rest of the family to decide who got that day's ice cream stipend. Last year he was ready to fly, but nerves and falls as skis kept getting caught in other competitors. He came in 62nd in state. This last fall he skipped his fall sport to help his dad harvest, as Grandpa died, and as the farm scrambled for another driver, he stepped up to work during his training until they found a more permanent solution. This is his senior year. Other players call him "one punch man" after the bald, anime strong man. His racing instincts/strategies have been spot on this year. He took 1st in sectionals by a minute and a half, and he's headed to state, (I hear he's currently ranked 8th) hoping for a top 5 finish. And when he was interviewed for the newspaper he said, "God gave me everything." I'm so stinkin' proud of this guy.