When Miguel Lozano started running as a fifth grader he would have never envisioned the road that would take him to where he is today. The Mishawaka senior played numerous sports in middle school including football and wrestling. It was as a grappler that Lozano experienced his first hurdle in life.
" Mishawaka is a huge wrestling school. It was the thing to do in junior high. Going into my freshman year I was in a match and my knee cap buckled and made it really unstable. I had surgery to strengthen the ligaments and was unable to run whatsoever until August of my freshman year."
The surgery might have slowed Lozano down when it came to summer training, but he didn't miss a beat when the season got in full swing. He ran a personal best 17:30 his freshman year. It was a positive and an obstacle the youngster would overcome, but as Lozano was upbeat bad news was coming around the corner.
"My sister Angela Hall passed away the summer of 2010. She was 28, but had a lot of health issues. She had an aortic aneurysm or massive heart attack to put it in simpler terms."
Hall lived in Kentucky and the two talked on the phone several times a week. Lozano had just been there to see her two weeks prior to her passing. In those tough times after his sister's death it was running that got him through the summer.
"I stayed focused simply just running mile by mile."
The sophomore continued to improve on the track and cross country course. He describes it as a solid season in which he made to Semi-States in cross country and Regionals in track. He set new personal bests of 16:19 and 9:50 in the 3200. Lozano was planning on riding that positive momentum into a summer oftraining and relaxing like a normal teenager.
Needless to say those plans were put on hold when Lozano felt a lump on his testicle in June and began to worry. He told his mother and they set up an appointment with the family doctor immediately. At her suggestion the two immediately saw a urologist who gave Lozano a blood test and an ultrasound.
"The ultrasound showed that it was a solid mass. When we talked to the doctor she said it was either an infection, an abnormal growth, or cancer."
The doctor added that Lozano was at the prime age for testicular cancer. It was an assessment that certainly didn't ease the sixteen year olds' mind. At the time the thought of cancer was only a possibility, but a scary one. His choices were slim.
"My choices were to have chemo which I just didn't want to do. I could have had radiation, but that caused infertility so that was automatically out. I elected to have surgery. The surgery was the best option because it was quick, the healthiest option, and it was almost guaranteed to be a cure as long as the lump didn't metastasize."
The cancer was in fact gone after the surgery. From telling his mom and noticing the lump, consultations, tests, and finally surgery the whole process took place in a two week span, but it isn't over though. He still goes to get blood work done, CT Scans and chest x-rays every three months because there is a 10 percent chance the growth could come back.
Three weeks after the surgery Lozano was off to the races. He managed to run a 15:47 his junior year and make it to the state meet where he finished 40th. Three summers and three series of unfortunate events he remained strong and determined to persevere.
"It's been a lot to deal with you're right. Running was just such an easy get away. I ran by myself a lot after my sister passed. I still showed up to practice after my surgery too. I wasn't able to do anything, but mentally it made me feel better. I had an article done in the paper and it was called 'Running Is Lozano's Cure'. After that I started writing cure on my hand before races."
Heading into his senior year at Mishawaka Lozano was skeptical about what the summer of 2011 would bring, but he knew it couldn't be worse than years past. Luckily, for him nothing has happened other than great results on the cross country course. He has run sub 16 minutes when it matters the most winning the Elkhart Central Regional and placing second at the New Haven Semi-State. His goals are to place in the top five as an individual and top ten as a team.
"I just want to do my best. If I meet my goals I'll be satisfied. It's crazy to me to think about all that I have been through. Sometimes it doesn't hit me because it all just happened so quick. It's changed me as a person and I think that is what separates me from other runners is that I have a purpose. I've worked hard since everything that is happened and now it is time to execute."
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