In a world as exciting and risky as street racing is, it’s not surprising to see drivers facing lots of dangers every day. From crashes to other accidents and even personal feuds, the “Street Outlaws” cast put their lives on the line every time they’re behind the wheel, and do it with no regrets.
Nonetheless, there are a couple of occasions when personal problems are more overwhelming and alarming than the streets could ever be. That’s something that fan-favorite Mike Murillo has got to know very well, since he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in 2022.
So what is going on with his health and what are the most recent updates about his life and condition? Stay here to know all about it!
Health Update
Even though Mike Murillo didn’t inform his fans about his cancer diagnosis until February 2023, at that point he’d already been battling the illness for several months. According to a very heartfelt YouTube video in which he shared the news, his lung cancer was discovered in August 2022 but he’s since been prescribed drugs and radiation treatment which have considerably improved his health.
Although Mike was honest about the fact that his cancer hadn’t gone away entirely, the good news is that his cancer markers have severely improved, and are now in partial remission, meaning that his tumors have also decreased in size thanks to the treatment he’s been undergoing. As well, Mike had also been struggling with some knee issues, eventually leaving him no option but to undergo double knee replacement surgery in late 2022, from which he’s also been recovering well.
Later in May 2023, Mike further updated his social media followers on his health and upcoming race events: ‘I’m nervous, but my health is as good as it could or should be. My mind is another matter. I know I’m not alone and that helps’, he wrote, thanking everyone for their prayers and well wishes.
That being said, there’s nothing else for us but to wish for Mike’s recovery and for him to leave these hard times behind.
Diagnosis & Treatment
Even though lung cancer is a serious illness, most people didn’t know Mike Murillo was suffering from it until several months after his diagnosis and start of his treatment. In his video from late February 2023 in which he announced what was going on with his health, Mike recalled that he had been suffering from several respiratory issues for a while, before his health took a downturn in early 2021 when he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Time passed and he overcame the pandemic infection, yet he continued to experience these health issues which only kept worsening. At some point in mid-2022, Mike’s health decreased to the point he was coughing blood, leaving him no option but to contact a health specialist, who identified that Mike was also experiencing heart problems.
After passing through several tests and a pericardial window heart procedure in August of that year, Mike and his family received the heartbreaking news about his stage four cancer, which was described as a ‘non-small cell lung cancer’, according to Mike.
After processing the news and informing the family about it, Mike went under treatment and therapy to hopefully cure his cancer, all the while keeping his condition a secret from not only his fans, but also to his fellow drivers and friends from “Street Outlaws”.
How Can Fans Help Mike?
It’s usually expected that an online funding campaign is started every time someone is going through some difficult times, but this isn’t the case for Mike Murillo. Instead of donating money, Mike’s fans can show their support for him during his cancer battle by purchasing a T-shirt and several other accessories from his online shop Eat-Race-Die.
As he revealed in a YouTube video on his channel, he doesn’t plan on starting a funding campaign to cover his health-related costs, but he left the reason behind this decision unanswered, and made sure to clear up that any online campaign of this nature isn’t related to him in any way.
Did He Suffer An Accident?
Besides being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, Mike Murillo also went through some other unfortunate health issues in recent times. It all goes back to September 2022, when Mike and many of his fellow “Street Outlaws” were racing against each other in Norwalk, Ohio.
The race took a turn for the worse when a valve malfunction caused Mike’s Mustang to catch fire during a match-up race against Ryan Martin. While these types of situations aren’t unusual for racers, the fact that Mike was inside the car directly exposed him to the damaging smoke which was enveloping him. As he told Drag Zine later in December of that year, the fire started when he was still too far away from the finish line, hence making it difficult to deal with finding a fire extinguisher to tone down the flames, and keep driving for help at the end of the track.
The tense situation and his worry about having inhaled smoke, led Mike to unwillingly reveal his cancer diagnosis to his fellow drivers and show staff members who were there at the moment. However, other than the scare and a couple of burns on his hands, Mike was fortunate enough to get out of that incident in the best condition possible.
Is He Still In The Show?
While being diagnosed with a serious health condition might be an understandable reason for anyone to just take it easy with any risky activities, and just take care of themselves, the truth is that Mike Murrillo isn’t just anybody, and certainly does things his way.
With that in mind, it isn’t surprising to find out not only that Mike isn’t leaving racing any time soon, but he’s also not abandoning “Street Outlaws” either. Even back when he received his cancer diagnosis, Mike wasn’t taking a break from the race track, and that didn’t change too much, even as he went through his treatment.
Though it’s understandable that a “No Prep Kings” champion wouldn’t just abandon his biggest passion, even while facing difficulties, Mike has also been able to keep on thanks to the support of his family. As Mike revealed in his heartfelt February 2023 video, his wife Lisa had been his biggest supporter during his diagnosis and treatment, encouraging him to keep going, even when the situation seemed just too hard to deal with.
Though Mike has been thankful for the support his fans have also shown towards him, in his video he also made clear how he doesn’t want cancer to ‘define him’, so expecting everyone to keep talking to him about other things not related to his health condition.
Mike’s Plans For The Future
True to Mike Murillo’s claims of having no plans of abandoning his race-driving career, in June 2023 he joined the sixth season of “Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings”, set to film in Ohio.
As a team captain, Mike and his fellow drivers would try to take home those $15,000 in cash prizes, which wouldn’t be a first for Mike as a former champion of the no-prep category during the 2018 season. That being said, Mike is certainly putting the best of himself on the track and behind the wheel, motivated not only by his thirst for victory, but also by the uncertainty of not knowing what the future has in store for him: ‘As far as I’m concerned nobody knows how much time I have left so THIS season I’m gonna push like there is NO “Next Season”,’ as he wrote on a May 2023 Instagram post.
With that mindset of winning at any cost, Mike will surely run as far and fast as he can on the track. His loved ones and fans are cheering for him to win, and hopefully that battle with his health as well.
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