As Germantown native and avid cyclist Jered Haddad prepares to bike for three days in the mountains of Iceland — between 35-40 miles per day on gravel bikes, riding mixed terrain off-road and on pavement — his mind isn’t just on the miles ahead, but on the miles he’s already fought to earn. At 51, the recruiter and lifelong adrenaline junkie has explored all avenues of life on wheels, including BMX bikes, skateboards, mountain bikes, motorcycles, road bikes, and dirt bikes. But his most grueling race began in late 2021 with a diagnosis he never saw coming: multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer that attacks the bone marrow.
Before his diagnosis, Jered had faced months of lower back pain, which he suspected was a sports-related injury. “I’d been living with it for six or seven months before I knew what it was,” he recalls. Once he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2021, the initial prognosis was grim. “It was aggressive enough that they could’ve given me two months to live,” Jered remembers. He immediately began chemotherapy and radiation to shrink the size of the tumors. By advocating for his health and with the support of Dr. Jason Chandler at West Cancer Clinic, Jered was accepted into a clinic trial for CAR-T genetic cell therapy at the Mayo Clinic. This cutting-edge immunotherapy reprogrammed Jered’s immune cells to target the cancer cells, and to the delight of Jered and his doctors, he was in complete remission in just 45 days.
“The first step was killing the cancer cells. Then I had to rebuild my body,” Jered says. For eight months, Jered endured extensive physical therapy to retrain damaged nerve pathways after the cancer had compressed his vertebrae and compromised his skull. Acupuncture completed the recovery, tackling the “software” after the “hardware” repairs. In less than two years from his initial diagnosis, Jered was on the podium winning his class at the Legend of Stanky Creek mountain biking race, and crushing his pre-cancer Strava records. “I nerd out on the data. I went from barely walking to being more competitive than I was before the cancer,” he says.
Last year, Jered was selected to participate in the Iceland Cycling Expedition through the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF). During this experience, Jered and other myeloma survivors, doctors, and researchers rode to raise critical funds for the IMF. Now, Jered is returning to Iceland for the second year in a row. “Iceland is breathtaking. You are riding surrounded by volcanoes and unbelievable landscapes, but what makes it unforgettable is riding with patients, caregivers, and researchers. You’re surrounded by people who’ve dedicated their lives to giving others more time and fighting this disease,” he says.
Back in Memphis, Jered is proud to be involved in myeloma support groups to share his story with others facing a myeloma diagnosis. “I try to advocate for early screening and speaking up for your treatment plan,” he says. Jered’s story is a testament to the power of early detection, advocacy, and community, and from now on, every ride is a chance to remember that while cancer may change the course, it doesn’t have to stop the journey.
Support Jered and the IMF by visiting
Fundraise.myeloma.org/fundraiser/5987625.
By Zoe Harrison
Photo by Tindall Stephens
