Tracy Kuwaja has beat cancer three times and she credits horses for helping her do so. Now, she wants others to experience the strength horses brought her during some of the worst times in her life.
Angel Heart Farm, where Kuwaja helps children with cancer, began with a dream, literally.
“I had a dream I was teaching bald-headed children to ride horses, and it got me up at 2 in the morning, out of bed. I ran to the internet to see if there were any programs,” Kujawa said to WKRN News in Nashville. “I can’t imagine what these parents go through. I know what my diagnosis was like for me and the people who love me and surrounded me, but to have a two-year-old or a four-year-old or whatever age child you have, it’s really hard.”
The facility uses equine assisted therapy for positive change in the confidence, self-esteem and physical wellbeing of children with life-threatening illnesses.
According to the Angel Heart website, the goal is simple: Help kids be kids away from all the medical necessities and bring joy into their lives through horses and nature; allow families to reconnect in a peaceful and caring environment at no cost.
Since 2001, Kuwaja has helped more than 350 families at Angel Heart Farm. She is one of four nominees in WKRN’s Remarkable Women contest.