It’s been quite a week for Churchill High School football and baseball player Miles Juarez, whose struggle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the past year has inspired an outpouring of support that extends beyond the Churchill community.
Discharged from Methodist Children’s Hospital last Sunday, 19 days after being admitted for stem-cell transplant surgery he had April 19, Juarez watched the Churchill-Judson baseball game Thursday night from the Chargers’ dugout and attended Churchill’s prom Saturday night.
“Going to the prom with some of my friends was one of my goals when I was in the hospital,” Juarez, 17, said Saturday.
On Sunday, Juarez will gather with his family at their home to celebrate what is sure to be a memorable Mother’s Day
“I think this is going to top all of them,” Juarez said. “Being with my mother at home on such a special day is going to be great.”
Vivian Juarez choked back tears as she expressed her thoughts on what this Mother’s Day will mean to her.
“I feel like I’ve already received my gift,” she said. “Having all my men here at home is all I ever wanted.”
Vivian and Paul Juarez have another son, Payton, a 12-year-old seventh-grader at Bradley Middle School.
Miles’ paternal grandparents, David and Rose Juarez, and his maternal grandmother, Josie Stewart, have stayed at their grandson’s side throughout his illness. His maternal grandfather, Henry D. Stewart, is deceased.
Miles, a junior at Churchill, has spent the past week enjoying the comforts of home after spending nearly three weeks in the hospital. His illness has given him a deep appreciation for things so often taken for granted.
“When I left the hospital, it was almost like stepping outside for the first time,” Juarez said. “Feeling the wind in my face was pretty special. I was pretty excited. You appreciate the little things more, like waking up in your own bed, taking a shower in your own shower and having dinner at home with your family.”
Fund drive underway to help with medical expenses
After all he’s endured in the past year, Juarez still has the sunny disposition that endears him to teammates and classmates alike.
From chemotherapy to radiation to the stem-cell transplant surgery and long hospital stays, Juarez has faced down each hurdle by holding fast to the competitive ferocity and positive outlook that define so much of his character.
“Miles is just an amazing story,” Churchill head football coach Glenn Hill said. “He’s been through a lot, but he can handle all this. He’s an inspiration to all of us.”
Juarez has been in and out of the hospital since last April when he was diagnosed with Stage 1 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes. He completed the fall semester this school year, but has missed classes most of the spring.
The Churchill community last week began a drive to raise $100,000 to help the Juarez family pay for the stem-cell transplant surgery he had April 19. Boosters, parents, coaches, athletes and members of the school’s dance team are selling discount cards for $20 that can be redeemed at a number of local businesses.
Hill said that 70 percent, or $14 from the purchase of every card, will go toward a fund set up to help the Juarez family with medical expenses.
“We’re going to get this done,” Hill said. “This is more important than winning a football game.”
Not surprisingly, the support from the community has been overwhelming.
“Miles’ personality is such that everybody gravitates to him, whether he’s sick or not,” Hill said. “The athletic program has embraced him, but our entire school and entire community have rallied around him.”
Paul and Vivian Juarez, who was on the Churchill faculty for 20 years before going to Marshall as an assistant principal, said the support has been heartening. The Marshall baseball team came up with the idea of “Miles of Hope” wristbands as a way to help raise money for the family.
“We believe that Miles’ illness has brought out the good in a lot of people,” Paul Juarez said. “The way they’ve reacted has been amazing, outstanding.”
David Juarez, Miles’ paternal grandfather, expressed similar sentiments.
“It’s unbelievable what people have done to help us,” he said. “People we don’t even know have come forward. It’s been great.”
Juarez's big smile a constant
Miles said the outpouring of support has been uplifting. He’s even gotten a phone call from Houston Astros star Lance Berkman, and has received autographed posters of the TCU football and baseball teams.
“I feel like all these people are my family, too,” Juarez said. “They’re my extended family. Nobody has to do any of this, but they want to do it. It’s awesome.”
Juarez missed part of his sophomore baseball season and was sidelined for the entire football season last fall. He plays safety on the football team and is an outfielder in baseball.
As the school year winds down, Juarez’s goal is to rejoin the Chargers’ football team in time for preseason workouts in August and return to the baseball field next year.
Hill said Juarez will be moved to wide receiver when he returns.
“I’ve got a jersey for him,” Hill said. “I keep having this dream that he catches a touchdown pass.”
Chemotherapy, at least for the time being, has robbed Juarez of his nice head of hair, but his kilowatt smile remains untouched by the effects of his illness.
“I’ve never visited with him, ever, that he hasn’t made me feel better before I left the room,” Hill said. “You go see him at the hospital with hope of making him feel better and make him smile, and he finds a way to turn it around.
“He always has a smile on his face and is upbeat, positive. He just has an outlook that is unbelievable. He motivates me. I let little, insignificant things get me down and I’m embarrassed when I see how Miles handles what he’s going through.”
Given that it’s Mother’s Day, we’ll let Vivian Juarez have the last word on her son’s attitude throughout his illness.
“He’s handled it like a champ,” she said.
