A Northwest Indiana Life in the Spotlight: Tiffany Bozovich

Navigating the challenges of university life is difficult enough. Now imagine the added weight of being a college athlete. After sustaining multiple knee injuries and undergoing four knee surgeries, Tiffany Bozovich thought her athletic career had come to an end.

"I was a freshman in college. I was supposed to play basketball, and the surgeon just said, 'You're done,' with no other option,” Bozovich said.

Then came a silver lining. 

“Years later, I met a chiropractor. I didn’t even know what a chiropractor was at the time. When I saw that there was a whole other avenue of more alternative, conservative care, I immediately latched onto it and became obsessed,” Bozovich said.

She would later attend chiropractic school at the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Ill., honing valuable skillsets and ideology that she would carry with her years later.

"What shaped me the most was a business class where they instilled in us the philosophy that if you take care of your patients, they’ll take care of you,” Bozovich said. “They emphasized not getting sucked into gimmicky marketing tactics like offering free exams or X-rays just to get people in the door. Instead, they drove home the idea of prioritizing patient care, and that has been so true over the past 17 years."

After dedicating her professional life to helping others, Bozovich began focusing on herself and was determined to never lose sight of what she had lost. Ten years after a surgeon told her she would never run again, she ran a mile — and then, her first marathon.

"I think when you've been an athlete your entire life, then suddenly can't compete, getting back into some form of competition brings a spark back into your life,” Bozovich said. "At first, it was terrifying to run again. It was almost unbelievable. I was 19 years old when I was told I would never run again. Being able to start running, training, and actually feel good doing it again was probably the happiest I had been, outside of getting married and having kids."

Once a Hoosier, always a Hoosier. Bozovich lives happily with her husband, Tom, and two children, Lyla and Lucas, in her hometown of Chesterton. She serves the local community through chiropractic care.

“Even though I initially started my practice in Schererville, I always knew I would come back to Chesterton,” Bozovich said. “I wanted to serve this community, support the local high school teams, and be a sponsor. Treating local athletes is one of my favorite parts of the job. Some of my favorite patients I’ve come across are my high schoolers."

Having experienced defeat herself, Bozovich can relate to many student athletes and offers words of encouragement for those struggling with injury.

"I think the key is believing you can get better and having a goal. The patients who see the best results are the ones trying to achieve something, whether it’s playing with friends or running a marathon. It's those patients with a clear goal and the mindset to reach it who tend to improve faster and see their goals through,” Bozovich said.