Tia Carr's Story
"I can walk, I can run, and I can see," says Tia Carr. These simple everyday functions seem quite easy for the average person, but for Carr this is a miracle. At 17 months she was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Uveitis, arthritis in the eye. Her prognosis was to be in a wheelchair by five years old and blind by seven.
At age five, she was diagnosed with Common Variable Immune Deficiency, an autoimmune disease that causes her to receive frequent blood infusions. Doctors told mom her daughter would be lucky to even graduate high school. Today, Carr is a 21 year old fighter who will not let her illness stop her from pursuing her dreams as a motivational speaker. Click here for the full story.
One Tough Kid
At age five, Carr started receiving blood infusions every two weeks at Rush Hospital in Chicago, IL. Below is a video of her at age eight describing her experiences as a patient.
A Day in the Life of Carr
Carr gets frequent sinus and lung infections due to her low immune system. Below is a video of Carr in junior high sharing what she goes through at her hospital visits.
Carr's Blood Drives
Since 2008, Carr and her mother have organized and facilitated 22 American Red Cross blood drives. At these drives, they have collected over 1,700 blood donations.
Click here for high resolution downloadable file of the video
Carr has symptoms of a cystic fibrosis patient, so she uses a cystic fibrosis therapy vest to help clear out her lungs. Check out the video below at 2:40 to see her have some fun using her vest.