TCU senior refuses to let 3 brain surgeries derail the life he’d planned
When Humberto Rodriguez Lopez was diagnosed with a rare lesion in his brain at 15, it derailed his tennis game and threatened to steal his plans for TCU and a career in finance. Now, five years and three surgeries later, he reflects on how the experience has changed his outlook on life.
Rodriguez first noticed his symptoms on the court, experiencing bad headaches, trouble with balance and motor skills. Doctors diagnosed him with a cavernous angioma, a large lesion in his brain stem consisting of two components, one of which had ruptured and was bleeding into his brain.
He underwent three surgeries and months of rehab from 2021 to 2025. Lopez says the journey taught him to cherish every day and give everything his full effort.
Lopez’s diagnosis and first surgery
Lopez was diagnosed in his hometown of Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
His condition was so rare and specific that he needed a doctor who was an expert in brain surgery. A doctor who attends his church referred him to Dr. Jacques J. Morcos, who was practicing in Miami at the time. Marcos specialized in “complex conditions of the brain.”
“it really sank in whenever I went into Dr. Morco’s office, it wasn’t until that moment that I truly understood that I wasn’t doing great, because he told me that I needed to have a surgery,” Lopez said.
Morcos recalled thinking that Lopez was brave when they first met.
“I’m imagining what I would feel if I was 15 or 16 with all of these neurological deficits. He was a very challenging case, and I tried to not make him feel scared or anything, because obviously I recommended surgery to remove this thing,” Morcos said.
Lopez said the first surgery in 2021 saved his life but also had a big physical impact on him.
“It was for sure the scariest one, and it had the most impact in my life.” Lopez said. “I needed physical and occupational therapy, so it was probably around like six or seven months of recovery.”
Lopez’s second and third surgeries
Lopez was focussed on building his life in Fort Worth, hanging out with his fraternity brothers and girlfriend when he recalled getting symptoms again in April 2025.
“I used to hang out with my girlfriend, and I would have this weird headache on top of my eye that wouldn’t go away,” Lopez said.
Lopez underwent another brain surgery to remove the second part of his lesion.
At this time he was focusing on his classes, girlfriend and fraternity. He said needing a second surgery “hit hard” because he was exactly where he wanted to be.
“I mean, it was good as it gets,” Lopez said.
So when the symptoms came back he felt hopeless.
“I remembered the first recovery process, and then how long that took, and how hard that was, and I mean that was like the benchmark for me, so I just started to think, like, ‘Oh, it’s probably going to be just as hard, if not harder,” he said.
At this time Marcos had moved to the Texas Medical Center in Houston where Lopez saw him again.
An MRI then showed that the second component of the lesion had grown and begun to bleed.
“I did a different type of surgery, but it’s also in the brain stem, and I removed that second one, and this time because it wasn’t as bad as the first time when he had come to me, that second recovery was much, much easier,” Marcos said.
Lopez said the hardest part of this recovery was gaining confidence back in doing everyday things.
“Like going up the stairs quickly, walking to class, going out with your friends, there’s this feeling like ‘Oh, I can’t do it anymore.’ Because you’re always thinking like, ‘Oh, I can’t get hurt, I can’t do this, I can’t do that,” Lopez said.
He knew he didn't’ want this condition to define him.
“I didn’t want to be limited by something like this,” Lopez said. ”You don’t get like a halfway recovery. I’m either going to recover and get better, or I’m not.
He was in Houston recovering for three to four weeks before returning home.
Lopez’s third and final surgery in November 2025 relieved a buildup of fluid in the brain. He said the procedure put him behind with class finals, but with determination and hard work he recovered and caught up.
He said he simply wasn’t up for finals.
“The side of my hair shaved, I was wearing a beanie, and I was feeling all scared, because I lost my confidence for everything. I really felt like my chances at a successful future were really, really thin,” Lopez said.
But he knew this wouldn’t stop him forever. He went back to school in the fall and studied hard for his finals and the ones he had missed during recovery. In the end he was able to take them all and pass.
Lopez said going through this and coming out the other side fully healed made him realize he shouldn’t take anything for granted.
“I don’t wake up every day thinking I’ll always have tomorrow. I know how quickly everything can change, so I mean, at the end of the day, I just try to enjoy myself every day, and be happy with myself every day,” he said.
For him that means doing the best he can when any opportunity comes his way.
“Whatever I do, just have my full effort behind it, no matter what, life has shown me that you can’t be standing in the middle, you’re either in or you’re out,” Lopez said.
What’s next
Lopez assured us that his story isn’t over yet. This is just the beginning.
This summer he is interning in New York at a financial service firm and plans to look for a job in that field following his graduation in December.
“I feel like it’s important to know that every great story has its challenges, but the hard bits are really what gives the story its value, like if it was easy, everybody will have a similar story,” Lopez said.
Morcos added that it is a beautiful thing to see him recover fully after all these years.
“His story shows what it means to go through hell, because this is hell, and then come out of it, and go to college, and you know, graduate, and have a girlfriend, and I mean, just, it’s a beautiful thing,” Morcos said.
Lopez said if he could give young people who are feeling discouraged a word of advice he would tell them that things happen for a reason.
“Bottom line, hard things happen for a reason, and in order to achieve success and be great in your own personal story, you need to overcome adversity,” he said.
