Mark Dent of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS has the miraculous story of Dallas high school cross country runner Taylor Lively.

Lively, who as a senior at Lake Dallas High recently qualified for state, thought that the incredible pain he’d endured during training for many years was a natural occurence felt by teammates and competitors.

Boy was he wrong.

Last year, at 17, doctors diagnosed him with the lung disease Cystic Fibrosis, which causes a choking mucus buildup in the victim’s lungs and quite often leads to death. Death within two years of birth, that is.

Not only was Lively 17 when the disease was first detected, but he was an elite high school runner whose condition had been missed by numerous attending physicians. Though there is no cure, his current doctor now says that because of his astonishing fitness, Lively will likely far exceed the typical lifespan of adults who have the disease.

“The doctor said I should be in critical condition or possibly dead,” Lively said. “That’s when it hit me: I’m alive for a reason.”

Lively’s “reason” derives from his desire to give up competitive running in 8th grade because he couldn’t take the pain anymore. But thanks to a high school coach, Lively pressed on.