Published on: Thursday, December 16, 2010

By Nick Coletta

While driving to his cycling class at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jarrett Herold exhaled and watched the white fog form as his breath hit the cold air. The 21-year-old college student smiled at the sight of his breath — a reminder of his mother, whom he and his family laid to rest at St. Paul Catholic Church in Damascus just one week earlier.

“I have chosen to take every second of my life for what it’s worth,” Jarrett said. “That is absolutely what my mom did, and it has really motivated me to appreciate every breath.”

On Nov. 14, Jarrett was preparing for his final exams at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania when he received news that would change his life forever: Doctors had diagnosed his mother, 49-year-old Cathy Herold, with stage-four pancreatic cancer.

In the midst of his studying, Jarrett dropped everything he was doing to come home and be at his mother’s bedside, he said. After undergoing a week and a half of tests at Montgomery General Hospital in Olney, Cathy’s one wish was to spend the time she had left with her family at their home in Brookeville, according to Jarrett.

“My mom had been there to support me in anything and everything I had done in my entire life,” Jarrett said. “This is the one moment I could be there for her and support her when she most needed it. This wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to make her better, but I couldn’t.”

Jarrett said he watched helplessly as his beloved mother fought for her life, until her death on Dec. 3.

But Cathy’s battle is stronger than ever, living on through her son. Just days after his mother’s funeral service, Jarrett found the strength to turn his tragedy into something positive.

The commute to cycling class early Tuesday morning was the start of Jarrett’s new daily routine in preparation for the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Cycle for Survival event, a four-hour indoor cycling event held in February in Equinox gyms across the country to raise awareness about rare cancer research efforts.

“This event was right up my alley,” Jarrett said. “Being mostly helpless during my mom’s illness, this struck me as something I could really get into. I have the ability to help others.”

Jarrett started with a website to honor his mother and highlight his efforts to help fight in the battle against pancreatic cancer. The website outlines the story behind his newfound devotion to rare cancer research, accompanied by a small chart monitoring his fundraising efforts. Required to raise money to participate in Cycle for Survival, the motivated son raised nearly $2,000 in less than one week.

“I have trouble expressing my emotions in a time like this,” Jarrett said. “This is obviously a terrible time for my whole family, and we will never be the same without her, but I don’t think my mom would want us to sit around.  Cycle for Survival is a way I can channel my feelings into a cause that can actually help people.”

Founded in 2007 by Jennifer Goodman Linn and her husband David, Cycle for Survival is an indoor stationary bike ride held each February in New York City, Chicago and other satellite locations to raise money for rare cancer research, said Director of Operations Katie Kotkins. Each participant is required to raise a minimum of $2,500 to compete in the event, she said.

“[Cycle] has nearly doubled in size every year since its founding in 2007,” Kotkins said, adding that it has become one of the fastest-growing fundraisers in the world.

The proceeds raised from the event go directly toward the rare cancer research conducted at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a cancer research and treatment institution based out of New York, according to Kotkins. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center conducts one of the largest programs of clinical research in the world, according to the hospital’s website.

Participants raised nearly $250,000 when the first event was held in 2007; the most recent ride in February raised approximately $2.4 million, Kotkins said. To date, Cycle for Survival has raised an estimated $4.5 million, which has gone directly to research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, according to Kotkins.

By the time Cathy was diagnosed, Jarrett said the cancer had already grown too strong to battle successfully. Pancreatic cancer is a rare cancer that often grows without symptoms. According to the National Cancer Institute, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in both men and women in the country. Because it is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, the survival rate is poor compared with that of other types of cancer, the website states.

Jarrett said the smallest possible sign of a cure is enough to drive him forward.

“I cycle for hope,” Jarrett’s website states. “Hope that one day there is hope for someone diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer. Hope that one day there will be a method for early detection. Hope for a new treatment that will improve both the quality and quantity of the lives of those affected by the disease.”

Jarrett’s sister Julianna will also be participating in Cycle for Survival. His other sister, Sarah, and his father, Jeff, will be at the event to cheer on Jarrett and Julianna.

Jarrett said the simplicity of seeing his breathe while driving to his first cycling class Tuesday symbolized everything he is working toward and the person who is giving him the strength to achieve his goals.

“I know I have my mom’s help in this venture, which gives me all the confidence in the world,” he said.

For more information on the Cycle for Survival, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and to donate to Jarrett fundraiser, visit http://mskcc.convio.net/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1423&px=1934120.