This year, CBS featured outstanding, inspirational athletes during the one hour broadcast special Arete Honors for Courage in Sports. This annual event honors those athletes, both well-known and unknown, who have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles on their path to excellence. Jerry Cahill, a 56 year old cystic fibrosis patient and New York native, is one of these inspiring athletes.
Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of eleven, Jerry, with the support of his parents, has always made it a point to stay physically active and to always live his life with the belief that ‘You Cannot Fail.’ Cahill has excelled not only in athletics as a pole vaulter, but has also succeeded as an executive in the fashion industry.
Now retired, Jerry has taken an active role in the Boomer Esiason Foundation by creating and expanding a number of educational programs including Team Boomer, You Cannot Fail, CF Podcasts, CF Wind Sprints, Transplant Grants, and CF Scholarships. He continues to remain involved in the pole vaulting community by coaching two local New York high school teams. Beyond coaching, Jerry remains extremely active by biking, running, and lifting weights regularly.
Most notably, Jerry ran in the 2012 Boomer’s Cystic Fibrosis Run to Breathe 10K in Central Park this summer just three months after his double lung transplant. This, along with his completion of two NYC marathons, two half ironman events, and his dedication to pole vault, all while battling cystic fibrosis, is what makes him an inspirational and heroic athlete.