It started in the spring, when Alex Lara felt fatigued, nauseated, and out of sorts.
Then, in the beginning of the summer, the Tempe High School junior wide receiver noticed a mass on the left side of his neck. It was feared he had lymphoma.
"They didn't know what it was at first," Tempe coach Sean Freeman said. "They said, 'Well, it might be lymphoma,' because of how big the mass was. That would scare everybody."
Araceli Lara, Alex's mother, said that after a series of tests, lymphoma was ruled out. She said doctors found an enlarged salivary gland causing the abnormal growth.
"It made him focus even more on playing harder," Araceli said. "Football is his life."
Surgery is being recommended to remove the growth, at which time a biopsy will be performed,
Araceli said. But Alex wanted to wait until after his junior football season to do that.
"I know he was really bummed about not possibly being able to play this season," Araceli said. "He was down. You could see it in his face that he was worried."
A strong Christian, Lara said he is grateful to be back and won't have to miss his junior season. The Buffaloes, who went 6-4 last year in 4A, open their season at Phoenix Alhambra on Friday, Aug. 28.
"It held me back a bit," Alex said. "Had a lot of symptoms. Mentally, thinking about it, definitely held me back during the summer."
After getting cleared, Lara asked coach Sean Freeman to announce to the team that he'd be back.
"It was awesome," Freeman said.
"Luckily, he was able to get through it," Freeman said. "The amount of work he puts in on his body. He trains like a 6A player. He wants to be the very best."
That's why it was hard on the 5-foot-10, 160-pound Lara when he couldn't push himself through the summer and had to miss workouts with the team.
"That mass is still there," Alex said. "I will be having surgery after the season. I didn't want to be held back from any games, so the surgery will be done after the season."
With a strong support system and his faith, Lara is working toward his goals of gaining more than 800 yards and scoring at least eight touchdowns for the Buffaloes.
Lara said the medical scare has motivated him.
"This mentally made me more humble and aware that time is short and I'm going to make the most of what I have," he said.
He said he still thinks about it, conscious of the enlarged area on his neck.
"It's definitely something that plays in my head a lot," Lara said. "I'm a big Christian, and I believe in the word. I don't let it affect me or anything in my life."
Freeman said Lara is a big part of Tempe's success because of his work ethic and God-given ability to make plays. Last year, he had 18 catches for 183 yards and four touchdowns.
"We're looking at him to do big things for us," Freeman said.
Lara calls the team "family," citing how they were with him through everything.
"I can't even tell you how many messages I got during the summer, just checking up on me, and letting me know that I'm loved," he said. "I'm truly grateful for that. I feel like this brought us closer as a team. A lot of got to talking to each other more just because of my situation. And I'm truly grateful for that."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tempe High football player grateful to be back after health scare
