Updated August 25th, 2020

‘Cheer’ Breakout Star Jerry Harris, Inspired by His Mom Who Had Lung Cancer, Hit the Oscars Red Carpet

The Netflix docu series is filled with incredible personalities -- but only one went to the Vanity Fair after party

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Jerry Harris, a breakout star of Netflix’s documentary “Cheer” whose mom died of cancer when he was 16, had the night of his life at Sunday’s Oscars.

The Texas cheerleader, whose contagious positivity won him fans and attracted the attention of everyone from Ellen DeGeneres to Stephen Colbert, was invited to interview stars on the red carpet by The Ellen Show. And, even better for some Hollywood fans, he was invited to Vanity Fair’s coveted post-Oscars party.

After the devastating loss to his beloved mother, who had lung cancer, he tells NBC in a recent interview, cheer is his “safe place.”

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Who would've thought I'd be at the Oscars??? Thank you so much @theellenshow and your team for EVERYTHING????â¤ï¸
A post shared by Jeremiah Harris (@jerry.h.arris) on Feb 10, 2020 at 2:35pm PST

His mother, he says, was inspiring, and her attitude has shaped his life.

“She taught me to always be positive and always look out for people and always do the right thing," Harris told NBC. "That’s something I tried to emulate in her to make her proud each and every day."

The support of his cheer teammates got him through her illness and death, he adds. “They just uplifted me … and just made me feel like I had support and I wasn’t alone.”

‘Mat Talk Is Really Inspiring’

Harris gives that support back with “mat talk,” mat being the literal mat on which the routines are done.

“It’s basically giving encouragement … letting them know you have someone who’s looking out for you and wants to be there for you,” he told DeGeneres when he his Navarro Junior College cheer team appeared on “The Ellen Show.”

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Hey guys! I want to thank you all so much for all of the love and support you have shown me! I never in a million years thought that I would get this kind of attention, especially from people outside the cheer world! It is crazy! I have been blessed to have some kind and loving people in my life. My "cheer moms" have looked out for me and helped me since I lost my mom when I was 16. Since CHEER came out, several people have reached out asking how they could help me. In response my cheer moms reactivated the Gofundme that they set up for me four years ago. I am overwhelmed at the response and generosity. I don't really have the words to express how thankful I am for all of this and all of you. I have been so blessed in life and I'm so grateful for all of this love! Thank you all so much! I love you all so much!â¤ï¸ P.S. the link is in my bio:)
A post shared by Jeremiah Harris (@jerry.h.arris) on Jan 15, 2020 at 8:31pm PST

The Future of Lung Cancer Treatment

With lung cancer in particular, the disease is often diagnosed in advanced stages. That's because lung cancer often presents with no symptoms. However, even though the disease gets harder to treat in later stages, there are now options even for people with advanced disease.

When lung cancer is diagnosed in stage 1 or 2, in many instances it can be treated with surgery to remove the tumor. In stage 2, chemotherapy may be recommended after surgery to reduce the chances that a lung cancer will return. Treatment gets more complex with stage 3 and 4 lung cancers.

However, there have been incredible developments when it comes to using immunotherapy for the disease. Immunotherapy is the process of waking up a person's own immune system and helping it to recognize and attack cancer and it has really changed the game when it comes to treating advanced lung cancers.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

Constance Costas is a writer for SurvivorNet.

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