The perfect pair
take aim at cancer

By Jon Campisi
Times Staff Writer

Zach Herr feels he owes a great deal to the folks at the Fox Chase Cancer Center.
And why not? The specialists at the Northeast Philadelphia hospital and research facility are probably the reason his mother is alive today.
Cyndie Herr is only 45, but she has already been through the fight of her life. The married mother of three is a cancer survivor, having finished her cocktail of treatments in November 2007, less than a year after colon cancer was detected.
It wasn’t until February that she really began to feel like herself again. So the good news is, now that she is back in full swing, she’ll be able to attend the golf tournament and charity fund-raiser that her 13-year-old son started in her honor.
In January 2007, around the time that his mother was diagnosed, the Bucks County resident and Newtown middle-schooler started the Zach Attacks Cancer Foundation, a non-profit organization designed to raise cancer awareness and funding for research.
On Monday, the foundation will host the first Zach Attacks Cancer Charity Golf Tournament and Silent/Live Auction.
For Zach, a youngster who seems wise beyond his years, the idea for his own foundation stemmed from visits to the hospital with his mother, where he would accompany her during her treatments.
"I was walking through, and I saw the people who were going through the same thing that she was, and I thought, ‘How can I give back to people with what they’re going through and people who are trying to help find a cure for the disease?’" Zach said during an interview at his family’s New Hope home.
The seventh-grader said his goal during next week’s tournament and auction is to raise $50,000, all of which would go to the Fox Chase Cancer Center. The goal is very attainable, he said, considering he’s already collected about $35,000.
The money was raised from the sale of signs that will be placed at each of the 18 holes on the golf course, advertising the business or organization that purchased the space (each marker went for $500); advance ticket purchases for the event; and "reminder bracelets," or rubber supportive wristbands that display the foundation’s name.
Asked how the folks at Fox Chase reacted when they learned of Zach’s goodwill, the youngster said, "It was shock and awe. They were pretty impressed that me, being thirteen, would try to raise money to help the people who are down there."
Others who are impressed are Zach’s family — his dad Eric, younger sisters Erica, 11, and Madelein, 10, and, of course, his mom.
Since Cyndie first learned of her son’s volunteerism at the beginning of her sickness, a time when she understandably was not herself, her initial reaction was somewhat subdued.
"At the time, I was sick as a dog," she recalled. "I said, ‘Oh yeah, great idea; I’m going back to bed.’"
But even with zapped energy, she knew deep down that Zach’s intentions were good, and she eventually was able to share with him how proud she felt to be his mom at that moment. In the weeks and months that passed, Cyndie was even able to weigh in with some of her own ideas about what types of items could be included in the silent and live auctions.
Others who have taken notice of Zach’s initiative are his friends at school, with the youngster saying, "They’re all supportive of what I do."
Many of those friends are golfers just like Zach, which is a story in itself. The reason the golf tournament and auction will be held at the Jericho National Golf Course in New Hope is that it’s Zach’s home turf, almost literally — the Herr home abuts the sprawling private course.
Zach began his golf game at age 5, and, according to his dad, the family even chose their circa-1810 house in historic Bucks County because of its proximity to Jericho.
"Being here, he just walks right over there," Eric Herr said. "It was a godsend."
Because of his experience with golf, organizing a golf tournament as the choice of fund-raiser came natural to Zach. And once the word spread, he received good response from those who wanted to help. Top-of-the-line golf club manufacturers have donated clubs to the cause, and others donated trophies to be given to the top winners.
Even the Fox Chase Cancer Center got in on the action, donating pens to be placed in giveaway bags and making signs for the event.
"They’ve really done a lot to try to help me out with my tournament and help get the word out," Zach said.
Now that Cyndie Herr’s cancer is in remission and her state of mind is good, she is able to appreciate the significance — and effort — of what her son has put together.
During her ordeal, however, the tone around the house was a bit different.
"It was tough; we’re a pretty close family," Eric Herr said of the stretch of time when his wife was going for seemingly endless treatment.
Eric said that friends and neighbors were supportive, many of them bringing meals to the house and offering to take the kids to school.
Perhaps the most difficult thing for the Herr youngsters was the thought of having to eat dad’s cuisine on those nights when it was virtually impossible for Cyndie to make dinner.
"We had to eat his cooking," Zach said jokingly.
But with all that was going on in their lives, the Herr family had perhaps one saving grace — Zach’s foundation, which had become his pet project.
"By him getting involved in all this stuff, it kept us busy," Eric said.
At one point, Zach even spoke to pupils in the Pennsbury School District in Bucks County about cancer and how he was trying to combat it.
Cyndie said the feedback the children gave to Zach, with many unafraid to ask difficult questions, was a testament to the type of speaker her son is, although he may not have known it at the time, since he can be quiet and reserved.
Today, Cyndie said she continues to be impressed with the various donated items that arrive in the mail. They recently received donated towels, used to wipe off golf clubs, from a company that wanted to help.
As for her cancer, Cyndie was lucky enough to have caught it early. She learned of the tumor after noticing blood in her stool.
At 44, she was six years away from undergoing the routine colonoscopy that doctors recommend when adults reach the half-century mark. But early detection, she said, is what helped to save her life. And these days, she doesn’t take anything for granted.
"Here we are today, healthier and happier," she said.
Cyndie continues to get her blood tested every three months to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned. She also restricts herself to a fairly healthful diet, although she was never one to stray off the path of health-consciousness.
"I ate well beforehand, and I thought I was doing all the right things, and that’s the thing that caught me sideways, because it’s like, ‘I have what? I have what where?’" she said.
Cyndie said the number of cancer diagnoses and cancer-related deaths continues to rise in this country, a reality that should be enough to make people aware of how important it is to practice healthy lifestyles and have cancer screenings.
While proceeds from this year’s tournament and auction will go to the research and treatment of colon cancer, Zach understands there are many different types of cancer, and he’ll be choosing another beneficiary for the second golf tournament and auction, which have already been scheduled. ••
Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com

It’s tee time . . .
The first Zach Attacks Cancer Charity Golf Tournament and Silent/Live Auction will take place Monday at Jericho National Golf Course, 250 Brownsburg Road, East, New Hope.
The event, which will also include a buffet and open bar, begins with the silent auction at 4:30 p.m. Admission is $50 and includes a meal.
For more information on the Zach Attacks Cancer Foundation and the upcoming event, visit www.zachattackscancer.cfsites.org