When Tim Tebow was traded to the New York Jets, Bailey Knaub wondered if she’d ever see the quarterback who has done so much for her in the past year.
“I was heartbroken,” said Knaub, who went from being a guest of Tebow’s at a Broncos game to a bit of a celebrity when he talked about her and her story during the postgame press conference. “I figured I’d never see him again, and then, boom, there he is.”
Two weeks ago, the Tebow Foundation called the Knaub family to say Tebow wanted her to attend his celebrity golf tournament this weekend in Jacksonville, Fla. Tebow is flying Knaub and her mother, Kathy, down for the two-day event.
Not only will she get to see Tebow again, but his playing partner for Saturday’s tournament will be Masters champion Bubba Watson. The Knaubs get to follow the pairing around in a cart during the round of golf.
“He just keeps calling. It’s like I can’t believe it,” said Kathy, who said the family picked up a second team to root for when the trade happened. “We were so excited he would call again, and it’s really nice.”
But Tebow also had a special request of Bailey on her visit, and that was to give a speech at Friday’s dinner banquet and deliver the pre-meal prayer.
“I’m super-nervous,” the Thompson Valley High School student said of the speech she’s been working on for the past week. “I’m just scared to be in front of all those celebrities. I’m going to give thanks to Tim for including me in all of it and how much he has meant to me, and then I’ll give the blessing.”
Bailey is thankful for the friendship, but also has an inkling the quarterback knows how much it means to her to be able to tell her story to other and raise awareness to the disease she has lived with so long. Bailey has had 70 surgeries and numerous rounds of chemotherapy as she has battled Wegener’s granulomatosis. It is a rare disease with no known cause or cure, one that causes blood vessels to become swollen and inflamed, forming tumors in the nose, sinuses, ears, lungs and kidneys.
While she used to be shy about talking about what she’s gone through, she now views it as a chance to raise awareness.
“I won’t do it in front of everybody, but Tim will probably pull people over like he usually does,” Bailey said. “It’s nice, because I get awareness out there. It’s so rare, no one really knows about it, so I’m bringing it into the light.
“It means so much to me that he took interest in me, and is willing to include me in everything. I think he knows. I think he wants to brighten a kid’s day, and that’s his main goal. He saw how happy I was.”
The Knaubs left early Friday morning for the trip and will return Sunday. The tournament (played at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course), banquet and silent auction will raise money for the Tim Tebow Foundation. Items up for auction can be found at timtebowfoundation.org.
Mike Brohard can be reached at 635-3633, mbrohard@reporter-herald.com or on Twitter @mbrohard
