Since the debut of Netflix’s ‘Sprint,’ track star Noah Lyles’ follower count has surge on social media. Among those new followers, Mindy Moreno Rodriguez shared a video on Instagram of her father, who is undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, watching the documentary.
Rodriguez expressed gratitude to Lyles for inspiring her father and Lyles responded with words of encouragement. She recalls her father used to run tracks in high school, and said watching ‘Sprint’ was the first time her father had manage to complete a show after suffering from pancreatic cancer.
He has been battling the illness since January 2024, and despite doctors’ predictions that he would last only two weeks, the Vietnam veteran has manage to confront his life’s most difficult challenge.
Rodriguez shared how watching Lyles overcome his own challenges helped her father:
“He just kept saying how confident you are and so I told my dad that you have to have the same confidence that you’re going to beat this cancer and you will. I love seeing my old man smile when you took the Gold.”
The six-time world champion was overcome with emotion when he saw the Instagram post. He has been through a lot in his life, and although he can never know the suffering the Vietnam veteran is going through, Lyles made it a point to send a positive message to his fan, on his Instagram story, writing:
“These are the people that you never know you effect. I know you will beat the cancer and it will never come back!”
— Sam John (@SamJohn1190) July 11, 2024
The athlete went on to express his support for his fan’s father, wishing him a speedy recovery from his illness.
Lyles’ supportive behavior is not surprising given his own experiences during his childhood days. He had to battle illness as a child and is always grateful that he had his mother by his side to provide that support.
Lyles Recalls One of His Toughest Times
As a youngster, Lyles aspired to be the athlete he is now. However, his athletic goals were fading by the day as he suffered from asthma. He spent several nights in the hospital because of his condition.
During such challenging moments, he was helped by his mother, Keisha Bishop, who recalls how she would simply hold him all night to make him feel at ease while he battled with one of his most difficult problems in life.
Keisha wanted her children to persevere in the face of adversity. She always told them that they were here for a reason. They should face difficult challenges with confidence and strive to achieve the most they can by putting in their best effort in all they do. Lyles was able to overcome numerous hurdles thanks to such strong motivation and credits his mother for shaping him into the man he is today.
