Rachel Lozano's recovery from cancer could be labeled a miracle by the Vatican

Rachel Lozano

The following excerpt is from KSDK.com

By Art Holliday

ST. LOUIS (KSDK) - "Whether the church says it or was or not, I believe it was a miracle."

That "M" word: miracle. During the nine years she's been cancer free, Rachel Lozano has used that word a lot, explaining over and over again why she's still among the living.

"Sometimes it's a little overwhelming at times," said Lozano. "I think of this time as my extra years on earth."

Most of Rachel's high school years at St. Joseph's Academy were spent fighting a rare and sometimes fatal form of cancer, Askin's tumor. She had multiple surgeries and underwent a bone marrow transplant. Chemotherapy claimed her hair, but she whimsically turned her bald head into a canvas for colorful artwork. In her high school graduation photo, she was smiling brightly, even though she was fighting for her life.

"It was strange. I actually had a peacefulness when I would think and pray about it," said Lozano. "I didn't know what that peacefulness meant. I didn't know if that meant dying or that meant living."

When the cancer appeared for the third time, the doctors delivered the worst news possible.

"That I pretty much had a few weeks to live at the most, depending on which organ was hit first, because the tumor recurred between my heart, lung, and spine."

During one last surgery to remove cancer, Rachel Lozano's doctors were shocked to find no cancerous tissue. The cancer was gone.

A 2000 photograph shows Lozano at the gravesite of Father William Chaminade, founder of the Marianists in 1817. She had flown to Rome to attend a ceremony honoring Father Chaminade. Feeling a strong connection to the priest, Lozano prayed to Chaminade to cure her cancer.

"He also overcame a lot of obstacles in his life and never gave up hope," said Lozano. "I see the parallels in our lives that way."

Eventually Rachel Lozano's recovery was declared to be a miracle by the St. Louis Archdiocese and the investigation was passed along to the Vatican. If the Vatican certifies that Lozano's case is a miracle, it would be the second miracle attributed to Father Chaminade, and the Pope could declare Chaminade a saint. She doesn't know if or when that will happen.

Read More: Rachel Lozano

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Woman Claims Cancer Cured By Miracle

Archdiocese Of St. Louis Is Investigating And Is Sending Its Findings To The Vatican.

The following story appeared on KPLR11.com:

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI-FOX2Now.com) - Was a cancer recovery a miracle? The St. Louis Catholic Archdiocese thinks so. They say a St. Louis woman's cancer has vanished because of her prayers to a priest who's now on the verge of becoming a saint. They've asked the Vatican to certify her case miracle.

There are some things medical science can't explain. Rachel Lozano's cure is one of them. Rachel Lozano was first diagnosed with a rare form of cancer when she was fifteen. By the year 2000 it looked hopeless. On a church trip that year to the Vatican for a ceremony honoring Father William Chaminade. she prayed that Father William Chaminade to heal her.

Her prayers continued. So did the cancer. Finally, she was given weeks to live. When surgeons operated they found a dead tumor. Six years later Lozano remains cancer-free. After an investigation the St. Louis Archdiocese concluded it was the prayers and Chaminnade that cured the cancer. If the Vatican agrees chances are good that Chaminade, a French priest and founder of the Marianist order could become a saint.