GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Tina Garza said football has been in her family her whole life. She grew up with four brothers and always played and watched football with them.
When she became paralyzed 13 years ago, one of the things that made her stay at Mary Free Bed a little easier was the sense of togetherness she felt with her nurses watching football.
"A lot of nurses, like my nurse, Kristen, would run in and see the score, you know, to cheer with me," Garza said. "He [her stuffed Roary] was at my journey with me, he was at Mary Free Bed with me, he goes to hospitals with me. I have a Detroit Lions blanket that goes over with me, goes to dialysis with me."
Last year, circumstances led to her doctor giving her the option of going into hospice or going onto dialysis, hoping she would be able to get a new kidney.
"Right away, I thought I want one Super Bowl before I die," Garza said. "My boys fight every year, so I got to fight this too."
Choosing to go on dialysis, she said her one wish for the Detroit Lions is to see them play in and win a Super Bowl.
"I want one super before I die. Now I'm 48 years old. So I mean, I'm hoping I got a long ways to go yet of course," Garza said. "I'm hoping it's this year that we win the Super Bowl, but you know, who knows? You know, I'd be happy being in the playoffs and maybe one or two playoffs, that would be great too."
She said her family also has a deep football rivalry with her relatives in Texas, and her immediate family is split among teams.
"My mom is a Packers fan, unfortunately," Garza said. "That's my little dirty secret. Two brothers like the Lions one likes the Titans, and the other one likes the Cowboys."
Garza, however, stands by the Lions and said she's waited 48 years to see a season like this.
"Seeing all these records being broken, the way that the seasons turning out is just incredible to me," Garza said.
No matter the outcome of the season, she said the Lions and their persistence is something she implements in her daily life.
"If they've been hanging on this long, so can I," Garza said.
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