FIGHT WITH HEART - Official Trailer (2021) - Tiger Schulmann's Martial Arts
A devastating diagnosis threatened to end his high-powered and active life. But heart transplant recipient Joe Curran defied the odds – and won.
When diagnosed with heart failure in his 30s, Joe Curran was told he would need a heart transplant and was advised by his doctors to quit working out, abandon his career in martial arts, and just take it easy for the rest of his life. But Joe had a different plan—to fight for his life and win.
“Working out, training and teaching are who I am, and I’m not giving that up,” he remembers telling himself. “To enjoy any quality of life, I’ve got to plow through this thing and live my life.”
Joe found a new doctor who believed in the value of exercise along with proper medical treatment, and continued to go full steam with Tiger Schulmann’s Kickboxing and make the most of the time he might have left.
Over the next several years, Joe fought through chronic fatigue, shortness of breath and multiple hospitalizations. At age 40, he was put on a waiting list for the heart transplant and underwent multiple preparatory surgeries.
Like a fighter training for a match, Joe prepared for the transplant with a vigorous full-time exercise program, using his martial arts training to guide him. Everything Joe had learned, he implemented to achieve his goal and prevail.
According to Joe, martial arts is a way of life, a foundation for the development of human potential and confidence. It’s a mindset as much as a series of physical activities.
His years of training had strengthened his mind and given him focus, helping him keep his eyes on the prize and power through constant pain. It gave him the self-confidence to believe he could beat the odds. The support of his Tiger Schulmann’s Kickboxing community, his family and his mentor, Tiger Schulmann himself, multiplied that determination and resolve.
“Having a mentor, like I have in Tiger Schulmann, can show you that you have more strength than you can ever know by yourself,” Curran says. “If you have someone like that in your corner, you can overcome anything.”
And so he has. After a successful heart transplant, Joe’s life is still in high gear, and he’s more determined than ever to train and push himself even harder than before. “The tougher things are, the tougher you have to be—and the bigger the rewards. You just have to go for it.”
“Life is a fight for everyone,” Joe says. “When you get knocked down, you get back up. No excuses. You refuse to quit.”
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Videographer Sam Rivera created and produced the interview documenting Joe Curran’s remarkable journey.
Joe credits Tiger Schulmann’s Kickboxing for giving him the tools he needed – not just to survive but thrive.
Find a Tiger Schulmann’s school near you: https://tsk.com/locations/
Tiger Schulmann’s Martial Arts is the largest martial arts school in the United States and has helped over three hundred thousand people achieve their goals and reach their dreams.