I was flipping through the channels last night and came across a great story on ABC News (click for YouTube link) about a very small person with a very large Heart. Tiffara Steward is 2009 V Foundation Comeback Award Finalists. When looking at Steward you might think it is strictly based on her 4’6” stature but it goes much deeper than that. Here are the reasons why Steward is such an inspirational story and great success:
Tiffara Steward stands at 4'6" and is thought to be the shortest collegiate basketball player ever. However, it is not her short stature that is Tiffara's greatest obstacle. She was born three months premature, weighed only two pounds, and underwent three surgeries by the time she was three years old. Tiffara still battles multiple permanent disabilities today; she is blind in her right eye, as she was born without a cornea, and has over 50% hearing loss in both of her ears. She has a leg discrepancy, and also battles severe scoliosis; her spine, to date, is still not completely fused. This was unknown to most of Tiffara’s teammates, coaches and administration until this year. She never uses her disability as an excuse in any aspect of her life; instead, she uses sheer courage and determination in the face of true adversity.
Many times as we go through our everyday lives we like to make excuses for ourselves and not give 100% effort because of minor stressors. Here is an amazing young lady that never looked at the obstacles she faced in her life as deterrent to do great things. The Next time you are having a hard day and want to feel bad for yourself think about others and how much worse you could have it. Try to go through every day with the attitude to brighten up someone else’s day!
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