Bike journey through Iceland raises awareness about disease
AGENT 6.24 THE TIME NOW WELCOME BACK EVERYONE HAVE YOU HEARD THAT TERM BABY STEPS YES GOT TO START SLOW AND KEEP GOING MOVING ONE PEDAL AT A TIME >> TODAY WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A GERMANTOWN MAN USING HIS JOURNEY WITH CANCER TO INSPIRE OTHERS TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD THAT’S RIGHT IN JUST A FEW WEEKS HE’S EMBARKING ON ANOTHER GRUELING JOURNEY WHICH WILL WARREN HAS HIS STORY IN THIS WEEK’S BRIGHT SPOT >> JERED HADDAD IS AVID MOUNTAIN BIKER BUT IN JUST A FEW WEEKS HE’S GOING ON A GRUELING RIDE THROUGH THE NORDIC ISLAND NATION OF ICELAND WHAT REALLY MAKES A GRUELING IS NOT THE TERRAIN ITSELF NECESSARILY >> BUT THE WEATHER CONDITIONS ICELAND IS BRUTAL AND JARED WON’T BE ALONE IN HIS JOURNEY NEAR THE END OF AUGUST HE’LL JOIN A GROUP OF RIDERS WHO SHARE THE SAME DESIRE TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE DISEASE THAT ALMOST PREVENTED HIM FROM EVER RIDING A BIKE AGAIN 4 YEARS AGO JARED SAYS HE HAD PAIN IN HIS BONES AND ACHES RUNNING DOWN HIS LEG HE WENT TO THE DOCTOR AND LEARNED THERE WAS A TUMOR ON HIS SPINE AND HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH MULTIPLE MYELOMA MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS >> THE AMOUNT OF UNFINISHED BUSINESS THAT I HAD AND LOOSE ENDS ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE MULTIPLE MYELOMA IS A A CELL CAN SERVE THAT HAPPENS WHEN ABNORMAL PLASMA CELLS FORM TUMORS >> AND THE BONE THE INSTITUTE SAYS IT IS NOT CURABLE BUT IT IS TREATABLE BUT I START SEEKING ANSWERS JARRETT SAYS HE STARTED SEEKING A DIFFERENT TREATMENTS HERE LOCALLY AND IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY I WAS TRAVELING BACK AND FORTH TO MAYO CLINIC WHERE ULTIMATELY THEY IDENTIFIED AS A CANDIDATE FOR THIS CUTTING EDGE CLINICAL TRIAL FOR >> A THERAPY CALLED CAR T GENETIC CELL THERAPY WHAT THEY DO IS THEY TAKE A JUST A COMPONENT OF YOUR IMMUNE CELLS THAT HE SELLS THEY GENETICALLY MODIFIED IN THE LAB THEN WITH TAKES ABOUT 5 WEEKS TO DO THAT THEN TURN THAT AROUND AND PUT IT BACK INTO YOUR BODY AMAZING IS WHAT IT IS 3 YEARS LATER JARED IS IN REMISSION AND PREPARING FOR HIS SECOND TRY TO ICELAND WITH THE INTERNATIONAL MYELOMA FOUNDATION HE SAYS HE’S WRITING TO RAISE MONEY TO HELP THE ORGANIZATION FULFILL ITS MISSION OF HELPING PATIENTS LIKE HIM >> LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST JARRETT SAYS HE WANTS HIS JOURNEY TO BE A TESTAMENT TO WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU KEEP PUSHING FORWARD FOR ME THE ABILITY TO GET BACK ON MY BIKE AGAIN I NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF HOW FORTUNATE I AM TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT AND JUST TO BE HEALTHY TO DO IT