Tiffany Tate
There are hundreds of stories of courage and inspiration all around us. Each year the Tempe Sports Authority Foundation puts on the Courage Awards to honor a few athletes who have conquered physical challenges and overcome significant injury. I talked with Cystic Fibrosis survivor and transplant recipient Tiffany Tate about her disease, goals for this year and what it is like to be a recipient.
Arin: You were diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when you were born so how did that impact your life and for those who don’t know what Cystic Fibrosis is, can you explain it in brief?
Tiffany: Well, when I was younger I didn’t really understand 100% what it was, I just had to do breathing treatments and things like that, but my parents chose to raise me as normal as possible so I played sports, did all the normal things, but I had to do the breathing treatments and take medicine and things like that and as I got older is when it really started to affect me and I stared to realize that I was different and that things were getting a little harder for me than they were for other people as far as everyday things.
A: What does it feel like to be a recipient of a Courage Award this year?
T: Its amazing because everything that I’ve been though, its been a lot, its been a roller coaster, and I was very private about coming out and fighting the cause that I fought to get us back on the transplant list and get accepted. So, it’s a very great thing, I feel very blessed to be recognized for it.
A: Now I know you got your transplant last year, but what was it like leading up to that?
T: It was a full on roller coaster of emotion. At one minute I was excited, the next minute I’m scared, the next minute I’m no longer even on the list and I’m fighting for my life and to get back on the list. So, it was just kind of all over the place really. It was the hardest thing up to getting the transplant that I’ve ever experienced and being in the media and then all of that took a toll on me. It was very difficult to go through.
A: I know that music is a big part of my life, but were there any songs or artists that helped you get through the hard times or that you love to listen to during the good times?
T: If I’m having a bad day then I’ll usually do some worship songs just because it kind of brings me back to my faith and why I’m still here and it kind of centers me so I would say Christian worship music would be what I listen to for bad days. I’m a country fan so on a good day Eric Church would definitely be somebody I’d throw on and listen to.
A: What are you looking forward to most with the courage awards event?
T: Just meeting the other recipients, I think that’s going to be really exciting. Just to meet other people that are really inspiring, that will be exciting for me.
A: Do you have any big goals for this year?
T: In July I’m getting ready to go to the Transplant Games and so you get to compete in multiple different sports and it’s in Michigan this year. That’s been my goal from knowing I was going to get a transplant, is to participate in the transplant games so I’m looking forward to doing that and continuing to do things I haven’t done like in January for new years I went to Flagstaff [Arizona]to snowboard for the first time in my life. Being able to go up to Flagstaff without oxygen and things like that is amazing, so I just have little small milestones, but I would say the transplant games and also as a family, a lot of my family are going to run in the Pat Tillman race which I’m excited to participate in that because I’ve never ran in a race before.
A: What advice do you have for people going through what you have gone through?
T: I would say just to sty positive and stay strong mentally because mentally you can overcome anything. To always think of the positives in every situation possible and that means if one door is closing on you there are always that are going to be opening so I would just say that the power of your mind really can dictate the outcome of your situation.
