A journey of a lifetime

Published June 21, 2007
By Airman 1st Class Kali L. Gradishar
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Trials and tribulations. The phrase sounds like a title for a poorly made 1930s movie about the Great Depression. But add the word track to the beginning and triumph to the end, and it more than explains the life of Celestine Kuntz, health education program manager at the Health and Wellness Center.

Track, Trials, Tribulations and Triumph.

From 5 years old, Mrs. Kuntz was a runner in body and in heart. Running was dedication, love and inspiration all in one.

"I started out running in the Pee Wee category," said the TriCities, Wash., native, "and I was so motivated because I could beat the boys. I guess I got a lot of recognition because of it."

She gained two state titles in the long jump and one in the relays during her high school running career. For her sophomore year in high school she had the opportunity to travel to Japan to compete in the Track Athletic Congress, an opportunity that is rare among kids her age.

"I did pretty well there and that was really my starting point," said Mrs. Kuntz.

Because of her outstanding talent in track and field, she didn't have the typical high school and middle school experiences, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, she said.

"I was tutored because I was so involved with track and field, so I didn't experience school like everyone else did. But then I was also not exposed to the things that kids shouldn't be exposed to like drugs, alcohol and gangs. It was just never a part of my life," she recalled.

"I had a unique opportunity that other kids didn't have. For example, I got to ride on a bullet train in Japan and I've been to some really cool places that a lot of other people will never see," Mrs. Kuntz said.

Following high school, the track star headed to Washington State University attending school on a full-ride track scholarship. She competed for WSU for one year, then due to personal experiences, she quit.

Fast forward two years and Mrs. Kuntz is in Spokane.

During a friendly get-together, she met her husband, Greg, a competitive distance runner.

"He told me, 'You're such a great runner. You really need to start running again,'" she said. "He really encouraged me to get back into it."

So, she contacted the National Collegiate Athletic Association and after first being denied, she was granted two years for school and track competition. She attended and competed at Eastern Washington University and was doing so well that she began training for the Olympic Trials.

"I loved it. I lived it. Running was my life for a really long time," said Mrs. Kuntz with enough enthusiasm to shake down a mountain.

Then on May 25, 2000 her world changed. A lot. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor, one so serious that not long later, June 2, she was in brain surgery.

"It was really a reality check," she said, because at one time, she was partially paralyzed. She went from being an exceptional runner to having to relearn how to speak, walk, climb stairs, and other physical things that used to be a breeze for her.

Prior to her surgery, her husband was also set to compete in the Olympic Trials. But instead of competing, he was by his wife's side throughout her surgery and recovery. He was there through it all.

"My story is not the amazing one, his is," she said of her husband. "I can't imagine what my life would have turned out like if things hadn't happened as they did."

After surgery, she moved to Spokane with her husband. In 2002, she was offered the opportunity of a lifetime. She was chosen to carry the Olympic Torch. Even more amazing was that at the time, she was nine months pregnant.

"I ran a little over a mile and the whole time there were two people beside me and an ambulance behind me just in case I went into labor. I feel like I'm somebody and I'm a stronger person because of it," said Mrs. Kuntz, who now has two children; a five-year-old girl, Samiah, and a two-year-old boy, Keenan.

Since she moved to Spokane, she has remained in the health career that suits her so well. For approximately seven years, she worked at the Spokane Regional Health District and in February began work in her current position at the HAWC. As a civilian in a military position, she has the best of both worlds, she said.

"I work in health and wellness because I think it had a lot to do with me pulling through after my surgery," Mrs. Kuntz said. "We have a successful real estate business and people always ask, 'Why do you work?' I do it because I believe in it. I live to make sure that if people have an ailment, we can do something to help."

Still suffering from trauma-induced seizures, she sticks to meditation and keeping a journal of her life that she knows is precious now. She sticks to her motto, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

"Life is what you make it," said Mrs. Kuntz.