For UNC’s Ana McCrory, life these days seems like a dream come true.
The technician in the Tissue Culture Facility in the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center leaves soon for London to watch her son, Nick, a diver, compete in the 2012 Olympic games.
“It feels pretty wonderful!” McCrory said. “Nick has been working to get to this point for a long time. It hasn’t always been easy and there were times when we weren’t sure if it would all be worth it. But, he was determined and we just provided all the support he needed to get there.”
Nick, who attends Duke University but took the past year off to train, will compete in the 10-meter synchronized diving competition on July 30 and in the 10-meter individual diving competition on Aug. 10 and 11.
McCrory says she believes her son “has some inner strength that he taps into when he’s diving. It’s not really something you can teach someone. It’s more of an inherent characteristic.”
Getting Nick this far also has required a lot of shuffling for all of the McCrorys, especially Ana. She was the primary person to get him to the pool, get him fed and get him to physical therapy and other medical appointments when he was young. Once Nick started platform diving, the family often traveled to Huntersville, N.C., so he could use the platform there.
As a couple, Ana and her husband, Doug, decided early on that if they could manage it financially they would try to attend Nick’s competitions together to show their support and provide unity for him.
That meant the family schedule was pretty chaotic for a while, she said. McCrory, who graduated from UNC in 1981 with a public health degree and again in 1986 with a nursing degree, says her current job allows her to work part-time and still make the trips she needs to with her family.
Read More
Published July 24, 2012