HOT PURSUIT

Becoming homecoming king couldn’t have come at a better time for Luis Lopez.

The excitement of being crowned king last Monday night and reigning over weeklong homecoming activities at Medford High School helped overshadow some of the other heavy life challenges the high school senior has been facing over the past couple years.

Since last October, Luis’ mother, Angelica Goff, 39, has been battling Stage 4 stomach cancer, which has spread to her bones and ovaries in recent months. She has basically exhausted all treatment options in Minnesota and now heads to California in hopes of finding something that will produce a miracle.

But, at least for now Angelica has her miracle child whose working his magic in the background trying to provide some pride and comfort for his ailing mother. Besides being homecoming king, Luis is determined to become a state wrestling champion next year. He will also be taking part in pre-season wrestling nationals in Iowa later this month.

“It has been a rough couple years. I saw my grandma take her last breath,” Luis said, noting his grandmother died a few years ago. His grandparents helped raise him throughout childhood years while his mother was working. “And now my mother is super sick and slowly dying. It’s devastating and it’s always on the back of my mind.”

When Luis isn’t in school, he’s taking care of his mother, who hasn’t been able to work since the diagnosis last fall. Luis said she gets “super tired” and is forced to rest and relax on most days when she’s not at the doctor. Acknowledging he doesn’t want to run into the same outcome as he did with his grandma, Luis said he checks on Angelica in bed regularly hoping just by some miracle that she will survive the life-threatening disease.

Homecoming may be at least part of the miracle Luis is hoping for.

“I wanted to be homecoming king and to achieve as much as I can to make her happy,” he said. “I know she is trying super hard to show she’s not struggling through all of this. She has been there the entire time for me even when I struggle with wrestling.”

But…

Having an uncurable cancer not only puts a strain on Angelica but everyone around her.

“It’s pretty hard to take. I have to spend the time I have with her and make the best of it,” Luis says. “I just try to be strong for her because that’s what she always says to be.”

To make matters worse for Luis is that his mother is the only biological parent in his life right now.

Getting to be homecoming king is something he has always had his eye on. “As a kid, I always looked up to the homecoming king. I wanted to be that person everyone looked up to,” Luis said.

But perhaps most importantly, Angelica got the chance to see her son shine in the limelight, even while her cancer-ridden body threatens to take her life.

While Luis hits the weight room in preparation for the upcoming wrestling season, he is determined to have his mom at his side in his chase to win a state wrestling title next March.

“I really want to bring it home for her. She’s the strongest person I have ever encountered in my life. I have faith,” Luis said.

And the homecoming king hopes that strength, faith and determination will allow his mother a chance to go in hot pursuit of beating cancer.