April 22, 2011 – Mexico City, Mexico….Raul Lozano/IAD
Lizeth Daniela Garcia, a Pathfinder from Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, won the first place in the 50-meter individual race and 200-meter relay race at Inter-America’s Pathfinder Camporee this week in Mexico City. Her club and parents shouted with joy because they knew something the other clubs ignored: Garcia is a champion in sports.
Garcia is only 12 and has been into artistic gymnastics for half her life. She has won 66 medals at regional, state, and national championships. She recently participated in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics National Championship in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, ranking among the ten best athletes in the country in this discipline.
However, things have not been always easy for Garcia. When she was nine months old, she was diagnosed with leukemia. Her parents were devastated and had her go through a series of additional tests. She was later diagnosed with hemolytic anemia, which is said to be incurable.
Her parents prayed by the bedside of their thin, fragile daughter. “We put Lizeth in the Lord’s hands,” says Noemi, Garcia’s mother, “and asked God for a miracle.” Grinning, Noemi says, “God gave us our girl back. God performed a miracle and healed her.”
Six years later, Garcia’s pediatrician advised the parents to involve the girl in exercise. A lot of exercise.
“Close to home we spotted a gymnasium, and we decided to try it,” says Miguel Angel, Garcia’s father. Once enrolled, her trainer saw great potential in her and she began to compete in many different sports, even abroad. She has had the privilege to train with national champions that helped her get to the top.
As a Christian, Garcia has made a commitment to not compromise on her beliefs. Although there are times when she trains eight hours a day, she keeps the Sabbath and gets home early for church.
“My friends see me pray and ask me what I believe,” says Garcia. “So I share my faith in Jesus with them, because Jesus is alive. Sometimes I give my friends Adventist tracts.”
Besides disease, there are other giants in Garcia’s path.
“I don’t know what comes next for me in terms of competitions, and I think about it a lot,” she confides, adding that other “giants are school and growing in Christ. But I find strength in Philippians 4:13 and Joshua 1:9. They never fail.”
