Words by Kathy Fisher
Photos courtesy K&N

Jarrod Holly is a young man from Arizona that we could all learn a lot from.  Jarrod had been a normal, fun-loving boy up to the age of seven when he was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a recessive form of which results in muscle degeneration, difficulty walking, breathing, and a shortened life expectancy of only eighteen to twenty-five. 

Even after being diagnosed, Jarrod, who already had a deep passion for cars and drag racing, successfully participated in Jr. Dragster racing, winning an event in his specially modified half-scale dragster.  As his disease progressed, even the changes that were made to his car were not enough for him to continue to compete safely and, after a crash when he was ten, his parents had to sadly pull the plug on Jarrod’s racing program.

Although young Jarrod is wheelchair bound, he continues to be as involved with his love of cars and drag racing as much as his extremely limited mobility will allow.  He makes as many visits as possible to his local drag racing facilities, including his home track Southwestern International Speedway [SIR], in Tucson, Arizona.  He has also taken up participating in RC race cars, something that he can still enjoy being a part of the action even with his deteriorating health.

“He recently graduated high school and is going to college on a part time basis, about 2 hours a week, where he is studying Computer Graphics,” said his father Ethan, who not long ago retired from his position to take care of the now 19 year-old Jarrod. “He knows what is happening to him and he has a “Bucket List”, he saw the movie.  Participating in the 2012 HOT ROD Power Tour is a major part of that list. His prognosis is not good, but maybe they are wrong and he will be around a lot longer.  There is so much to do in a short amount of time. He enjoys life and he doesn't complain about what is going on. That right there gives my wife Barbara and I the strength to keep going, but it weighs on our minds every day.  We enjoy seeing him happy and that's all that counts right now. So when we say thanks to all those who are helping Jarrod make his Power Tour dream come true, we really mean it.”