NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Boomer Esiason Foundation (BEF) today celebrates the 60th birthday of Jerry Cahill, a BEF cystic fibrosis (CF) Ambassador and double lung transplant survivor, who proves that age is truly just a number and that success is possible with a strong commitment to your health. Within the last two years, Jerry has raised more than $380,000 by completing two 500-mile bike rides and many other physical activities. However, this year is special and Jerry is commemorating his own successes by completing 60 events on his “Living List” in his 60th year, with a goal of raising over $600,000.
Jerry Cahill states, “Growing up, my parents always told me to live life to the fullest. We were told that I wouldn’t live past my 16th birthday, and here I am today living my parent’s wish. My motto is that hard-work, relentlessness and optimism are the secret to a healthy and fulfilling life. With dedication to a strong fitness and medical treatment regimen, I’ve been able to survive this deadly disease and I urge the CF community to apply the same values to their lives. Much is possible when you put your mind and heart into it.”
Since February 2016, Jerry has been checking off his “Living List” milestones that include activities such as push-ups in the local gym, catching a fish in Costa Rica, snowshoeing in Vermont and donating his books across the country. Part of Jerry’s 60:60 “Living List” also includes a Bike 2 Breathe 500-mile bike ride, this time along the West Coast from San Francisco to San Diego, which will take place on September 19, 2016. The Bike 2 Breathe event series encourages people with cystic fibrosis and their families to stay active and exercise. Through sporting events such as biking, running and walking marathons and even spinning, the BEF aims to involve more people in supporting the research around this serious disease and the care for those who have been diagnosed.
Through these inspirational events, Jerry is aiming to raise $3 million to assist people living with cystic fibrosis. His hope is that those he meets, coaches and volunteers will not wait until they are 60 to start “living their list” and to realize that it’s never too late to start inspiring the world.
To join Jerry on his 60:60 adventure, connect with us via Twitter (@YouCannotFail). Let us know what your #LivingList will include and send us your photos. We will keep you updated as we countdown Jerry’s 60 activities in 2016. To donate to the Boomer Esiason Foundation, please visit http://bit.ly/6060Birthday. Your donations will support CF research and education, scholarships and transplant grants.
Jerry’s Living List currently includes:
- Indoor skydiving
- Karaoke (1 song from 6 decades)
- Climb to the crown of the Statue of Liberty
- Go to weekday NFL game
- Go to a NY Rangers game
- Share 60 CF Selfies
- Sail for 60 minutes around the Atlantic cup
- Ride the Wonder Wheel and Cyclone at the Coney Island Amusement Park
- White water rafting
- See Branch & Dean in Nashville
- Ride a mechanical bull
- Go back to Ireland
- Snow shoeing/cross country skiing
- Make your own pizza in Detroit
- Paint a picture with a CF artist
- Line dancing/square dancing
- Hot air balloon ride in Albuquerque
- Walk the Golden Gate Bridge
- Swim with dolphins in Orlando
- See the Northern Lights
- Burning Man
- Catch a 60-pound fish
- 60 pushups with 60 people
- 60-minute boxing/kick boxing class
- Paddle Boarding in Rockaway Beach
- Take 60 minutes boot camp class
- 60-mile bike ride with 6 NYC doctors
- 60-mile Bike 2 Breathe ride with Boomer and Gunnar
- NYC 5 boro bike tour
- Spin class at Cyc with 6 BEF employees
- Climb "Rocky" steps 6 times!
- Outdoor yoga
- Under Armour 60 Step Ups
- Under Armour 60 Kettle Bell Swings
- 60 jumping jacks at Fountain of Rings in Atlanta
- Soul Cycle class in 6 different cities
- 60 medicine ball throws
- 60-mile Bike 2 Breathe ride in Detroit
- 3rd Annual Bike 2 Breathe ride in the West Coast
About Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis is a chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections. The mucus also obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.
About Jerry Cahill
Jerry Cahill lives and succeeds in spite of his medical limitations. At 59 years old, he has overcome remarkable odds and has become living, breathing proof that people with CF can have a normal life through firm commitment to exercise and medical compliance.
Currently a CF Ambassador at the Boomer Esiason Foundation (BEF), Cahill leads its scholarship and grants division and is the founder of Team Boomer – the athletic arm of BEF dedicated to encouraging exercise among CF patients while simultaneously raising money for scholarships. He has also started the program “You Cannot Fail,” which includes apparel, a website, an autobiographical coffee table book, and two children's books. On top of all of this, he records educational podcasts and videos and encourages other people with CF to share their stories on Club CF. He has completed two 500-mile Bike 2 Breathe bike tours.
Jerry believes that exercise is the single most important thing in his life that keeps him healthy with CF. Follow Jerry on Jerry Cahill's Cystic Fibrosis Podcast.
About the Boomer Esiason Foundation
Throughout his career in professional sports and the media, Boomer Esiason has been a committed and active participant in many charitable causes, but he began focusing on cystic fibrosis in 1993 when his son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with the disease. That same year, Esiason and his wife, Cheryl, launched the Boomer Esiason Foundation, a dynamic partnership of leaders in the medical and business communities joining with a committed core of volunteers to heighten awareness, education and quality of life for those affected by cystic fibrosis, while providing financial support to research aimed at finding a cure. For more information, go to www.esiason.org.
